The Manor
by RedReno16
Summary: "She isn't sure how long she has sat their crying but when she looks up everyone is gone except Robin." AU where Zatanna lives in Wayne Manor after Fate takes her father.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: AU where Zatanna came to the Wayne Manor instead of going to the cave.**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing except the future OCs!**

After the initial shock had passed, she had felt as if she had lost everything. The single most important part of her young life, gone. Well, not gone really, just not here. Because yes, there is a difference between the two. Gone meant not coming back, and she refused to believe that. Not here was more of a...a temporary absence. That's all it was. Her father was coming back, he had too.

But, until then she would just have to suffer. Suffer in this crippling, dark loneliness. It was a new and scary feeling. It was hard to hope when you were lonely. There is no one to nurture it and see that it survives the dark times. This is why she could say quite confidently that she had, in fact, lost everything.

* * *

 **Flashback-**

Zatanna sank to her knees as her father donned the helmet and left with the criminals as Doctor Fate. She barely registered the light weight and warmth of the arm wrapped around her shoulders. And she isn't sure how long she has sat their crying but when she looks up everyone is gone except Robin who is sitting next to her, and Batman who is facing away from them saying something quietly to the communication device in his ear.

Zatanna sniffs and wipes her eyes, but makes no move to stand up. Robin says nothing, he just remains a quiet companion, and Zatanna is grateful for his silence. It isn't long before batman turns and looks at Robin, who stands but stays where he is. When Batman's eyes land on her she looks down and wipes her eyes again.

"Zatanna," His deep, gravelly voice punctures the silence, " You are going to come stay with me and Robin, at my home. We need a night to get the preparations done, so tonight you will spend the night at the cave."

Zatanna nodded solemnly, not really caring right now. Robin held out a hand which she took, and the boy helped her up. The three of them stood there for a while, Zatanna wasn't sure what they were waiting for until she hear the roar of an engine, and the famous batmobile skidded to a halt in front of them. If it was any other day, she might have been excited, but not now.

The drive to the cave was probably a long one, but she still wasn't registering much other than her father was _gone_. She choked back another sob, if either the Bat or Robin heard her they ignored it, and she was grateful.

Batman and Robin had stayed long enough to make sure Ms. Martian had a bed ready for the young magician before they got in the batmobile once more and peeled out of the cave.

* * *

 **End flashback-**

She was in that bed now. It wasn't uncomfortable, but it wasn't hers. She wasn't in her house. She wasn't even in _a house._ She was under a mountain right now. And this...this was so unlike home.

She wanted to go home. She wanted her father to be waiting for her with open arms when she got there. This just wasn't fair. How had she let this happen? And yes, it was her fault! She was the one who put on the stupid helmet! Her father was gone, she was alone, and it was her fault.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: How are you guys liking this so far? I decided to make this a little less AU by making Zatanna's stay at the manor only until she recovers from losing her father. I feel like this is more realistic. If not, people would probably realize that Bruce Wayne had a 13 year old girl living with him too. And Selina will be included in this story but not a whole lot just yet. I like the idea of Zatanna having another female to confide in, as well as her getting more of a look into Robin's personal life and relationships. Sooo yeah. Anyhow, please R &R and enjoy!**

Robin had been sitting in silence for most of the ride home but he just couldn't take it anymore!

"Are you sure this is the best idea?" He asked quietly.

"I told her father I would take care of her. And, it will just be until she gets back on her feet, which could take a while." Batman's response didn't exactly answer the acrobat's question.

"But...wouldn't she feel more comfortable at the cave with the rest of the team? She knows all of them better than you and Alfred. I mean she doesn't even know me as well as she knows them because she doesn't know the _real_ me!" Dick rambled off hoping Batman wouldn't catch on to the fact that the main reason he didn't really want Zatanna at the Manor was because he was trying to figure out his feelings towards her. Alas, no such luck.

Batman said nothing until they pulled into the batcave and parked. "Dick," the older man started, "I know you like her a little more than you should like a team mate."

Robin looked out the window to avoid his mentor's gaze as he continued, "But, your personal feelings have nothing to do with this decision. If it's too much for you to handle then we will sit down and have a long talk about that, but-"

"What?!" Robin whipped his head around to face Batman, "What is that supposed to mean?"

Batman sighed and climbed out of the car, "Dick, I think you know what it means. You are growing up and because of that you are going to start having new feelings, like-"

"Wait, wait, wait! Please tell me this isn't happening! I don't need you to give me _the talk_ or whatever you were just about to do! That's not even-. I mean it doesn't make sense-. Ugh! You don't need to! I mean sure it's going to be a little awkward with her being here but I'm sure I'll get used to it. But _seriously?!_ You really think that I would even _try_ something like that after what she has just been through? And it's not like we're dating or anything! God! _Really?!_ Geeze Bruce!"

Batman, well Bruce since he had lowered the cowl, simply stared at the boy during his little rant in exasperation, "Well, you know I'm going to have to do it eventually, right? And now that she is moving into the Manor, it seems like a good idea to get it over with, unless you two would rather I give you both the talk at the same time." He smirked.

"Oh my god, Bruce, NO! That would be terrible! Dear god!"

Bruce couldn't stop himself from chuckling at the thought of their faces. But the laughter soon dispelled and he grew serious again, " Fine then we can talk about it at a later date, but we will be setting some ground rules."

The younger vigilante sighed but then looked concerned, "Wait, but won't there be some serious custody battles and like legal stuff if you're trying to bring a thirteen year old girl to the Manor?"

Bruce nodded, "There would be, but no one is going to know she is here. She will go to Gotham Academy on scholarship like Artemis, and as far as the rest of the world knows, she still lives with her father who has recently moved here."

Dick nodded slowly, "So, she is going to know our identities then?"

Bruce nodded.

" And...what about Selina?" Dick asked uncertainly.

"That is up to Selina, though I'm sure she won't have a problem with Zatanna knowing her identity, after all she will know ours."

Dick nodded again then sighed, "This must really suck for her though. Having to drop everything and have your life completely turned around." He finished on a somber note and Bruce rested his large hand on Dick's shoulder.

" _That_ is another reason I wanted her to be here, we know what she is going through more than most. And if anyone can help her, it's you."

Dick looked down at the floor nodding once more, "Alright. So, which room is she taking?"

Bruce sighed, "Possibly the one next to yours. If she needs anything I want someone to be around."

Dick cleared his throat, "And what about patrol?"

Bruce's eyes narrowed, "She will not be going on patrol with us. I may consider training, but not patrol."

Dick let out a breath he hadn't known he was holding. It was definitely a good thing that she wasn't going to be patrolling, Gotham was too dark for her.

"Why don't you hit the showers them head to bed. I have a meeting tomorrow so you will be helping her move her things to her room. I'll go over everything with you both when I get back from work, which should be around seven o'clock."

The young acrobat turned and walked toward the showers. This might be a little weird, but he couldn't say he wasn't glad to have her around more often. They would both just have to get over the awkwardness.

 **A/N: OMG poor Robin! He almost got The Talk! LOL!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I still own nothing.**

Zatanna was already awake when someone knocked on her door. She looked over at the clock on the nightstand next to her head, seven thirty. Dang, it was still kind of early, she had thought they would have waited a while.

She straightened and walked over to the door, she pushed the small green button next to it and the it slid open soundlessly. Robin's smile faltered when he saw that she hadn't even bothered to change out of her magician outfit from the night before. She looked away, as she did something was pushed into her hands. She looked at it curiously, it was a small white paper bag that read ' _Eddy's Coffee joint'_.

"Hm, never heard of a coffee _joint_ before." She commented noncommittally.

"Well, it is Gotham." he quipped with a small smile.

Zatanna swallowed and nodded. She turned and placed the bag on her bed after muttering a small, 'thanks'. And then she took a deep breath before sitting down. "So...do we need to go get my stuff or…."

Robin cleared his throat, "Um, well if you want to change into civvies, I can take you to the Manor, your stuff is already there."

Zatanna's head shot up, "Did you say Manor?"

Robin smiled at her sheepishly and nodded.

Zatanna blinked a few times and nodded. She had heard rumors of Batman being rich, but she hadn't been sure if she believed them back then. They must have been true. Thinking about that made a wave of nausea roll through her because _wow_ , she really didn't know very much about the people she would be _living with_.

She heard the Boy Wonder clear his throat and she looked up.

"So...do you want me to leave while you get changed, um or...do you even have clothes with you? We can wait until we get home-"

"wen sehtolc" the magician muttered. She felt the success of the spell and looked down to find the exact outfit she had been thinking of. A white skirt, a blue sweater, and white shoes.

"Oh, right, magic. Duh." Robin said quietly and she smiled slightly, which in turn made the Boy Wonder grin.

"She opened the bag and found a danish inside and smiled. She remembered having told him that she liked those for breakfast. It was nice to know that he actually listened when she talked. She pulled it out and took a small bite before looking over at him.

"I'm ready when you are." She told him with her mouth still slightly full. He smiled hugely at her and laughed just a little.

"Okay Zee, let's go then." He turned and walked through the open doorway with her following closely. She didn't feel very hungry but she ate the danish anyway. Partly because it was her favorite, cherry, and partly because she thought the gesture was incredibly sweet.

They stopped at the Zeta tubes and Robin paused, "Batman entered your code number onto the batcave admissions list last night, so you can zeta there anytime."

She nodded and waited for the robotic voice to announce both their names and the whooshing sensation of the teleportation.

The same voice announced their arrival and she stepped off the platform. Her jaw dropped. This place was huge! Way bigger than she had ever imagined it to be!

"Wow." She said quietly and she heard Robin laugh next to her.

"Yeah," He laughed lightly, "That was my reaction to seeing this place too."

She turned her head to study at him as he gazed around the cave. He looked excited but also...nervous?

"Zee?" She snapped out of her thought as she realized he had noticed her staring and she blushed as she turned her face away.

"Nothing." She said quickly

He didn't say anything and they stood in an awkward silence for a few moments. During the silence Zatanna looked around the batcave, noting the huge computer, batmobile, the cases holding the uniforms, some lockers, and what looked like the entrance to a few showers.

"Okay, well, we can go up stairs and you can meet Alfred...um then we can move all of your stuff to your room." Robin said uncertainly and she frowned.

"Who's Alfred?"

"That would be me, Miss Zatanna." A crisp british accent chimed in.

Zatanna did a quick scan of the room and saw a very nicely dressed, gray haired man standing by a stairwell she hadn't noticed before.

"Oh...hello." She smiled politely and glanced at Robin. The boy wonder grinned over at her.

"Alfred," He addressed the man as he pulled Zatanna over towards the stairs, "This is Zatanna. Zatanna, this is Alfred, he's our butler extraordinaire. And he happens to make the most amazing cookies you will ever taste."

Zatanna shook the man's outstretched hand gently and very quietly quipped, "I don't know, Megan's are pretty hard to beat."

Robin laughed at the joke, Megan almost always burned hers, and Alfred smiled.

"Well, Miss Zatanna, I'll just have to make you a batch. But, for now, why don't you let Master Richard show you to your room."

Zatanna froze and turned towards Robin or… Richard? The boy smiled gently at her and slowly raised his hand to his sunglasses before sliding them smoothly off of his face.

She gaped at him. His eyes were a startling, beautiful shade of blue. But...there was something else, something familiar about his face….She couldn't quite place it-wait...no. There is no way….

"Oh my god. You're…."She trailed off as she realized what that meant.

"Wait if you're...then Batman...Bruce Wayne and Richard Grayson." She continued to gape at him.

His mouth pulled into a tight smile and he nodded just once. Zatanna closed her mouth, her head tilted slightly. He didn't seem to like that she already knew that...did he not like the fame.

She didn't get an answer before her mind brought her to a new realization. Batman, or rather Bruce Wayne, was not his father. His parents had been killed. She decided not to bring that up.

Robi-Richard, cleared his throat again and she quickly looked away, why did she kept staring at him?

"Okay, I'll take you up to your room then we can get all of your stuff up there and I'll give you a tour when we are finished." He still sounded uncertain and despite everything going on in her life right now, she almost laughed. She had no idea why that was funny. He raised an eyebrow and she shook her head.

Alfred stepped to the side and allowed them to pass. Richard led her up the staircase and over to a door. He pushed a button and something slid to the side. They walked through the entryway into a...study? Really? This was the entrance to the infamous batcave? She looked around and she could tell that everything in here was expensive.

Richard kept moving and she followed. As they walked out of the study and into a long hallway she saw quite a few doors. She couldn't help but wonder what was behind them. Richard slowed and gestured to a door on their left, "That's Bruce's room."

She nodded and continued to follow him as he walked forward. She looked behind her only to discover that Alfred was gone. Richard turned the corner and they emerged into a giant entryway with a very big, very expensive looking chandelier. In the corner of the entryway was several boxes. She assumed they were her things.

She walked over and opened one of the boxes, she found that it was full of her clothes. She opened another box to find a few books and photo albums.

"We can take some of those up now if you want." Richard said softly.

Zatanna nodded and grabbed the box of clothes. He took the one with the books and turned towards the stairs. When they reached the top he walked past only one other closed door before entering the room next to it.

She walked in and her eyes widened, this was her room? It was huge! It was a light grey color with white crown molding on the ceiling and floor. There was a huge flat screen Tv directly across from the bed, and under the Tv was a dresser. About ten feet away from the giant king sized bed there was an expensive looking desk. She walked over to it and out the box down. As she turned to look around she discovered a book shelf and another door close to the dresser. She walked over and turned the knob and gasped. It was a bathroom. She turned the light on and walked in. There was a huge shower as well as a toilet, sink, and towel rack. She walked over to what she assumed was a small closet for more towels, and was surprised to find a walk-in closet for her clothes.

Okay, this was crazy. She couldn't help but be just a tiny bit excited, until she remembered the reason she was here. She swallowed and shook her head. _Not now._ She would cry her eyes out later.

She emerged from the bathroom to find Richard waiting patiently with the box still in his hands.

"Where do you want this?" He asked politely, and she smiled just a little again. He really was very sweet.

"Um, you can just put it by the book shelf...Richard." She smiled again at being able to use his real name.

He smiled back, "You can just call me Dick if you want."

"Oh," Her smile grew, "Okay."

She watched him set the box down and then straighten, "Well, let's go get the other boxes then."

She nodded and they walked out.

* * *

It hadn't taken them long to get all of her boxes up the steps and into her room. She had decided to get everything situated later and opted for a tour of the mansion. By the time they were done with all of that it had been five o'clock.

Currently the were situated in the den watching _'The Fox and the Hound'_ it was one of Dick's favorite childhood movies and something they had in common. Dick was sprawled out on one side of the couch with his head resting on a pillow near her head, she was curled up with a blanket wrapped around her shoulders. They hadn't talked much but she didn't mind. She was kind of tired of pretending. She sighed when she realized that she would be doing that a lot more now days.

She felt Dick glance at her but pretended to be oblivious. Zatanna stretched and yawned before curling up again. They both looked over to the door as someone opened it and stepped in.

"Hey, Bruce." Dick greeted nonchalantly

Zatanna's eyes widened because _seriously? Bruce Wayne was Batman?_

The man nodded, "Dinner in five minutes."

She saw Dick nod and she gave Bruce a small smile. Back to pretending.

Dick paused the movie, sat up, and stretched.

"You wanna finish this after dinner?" He asked as he stood.

Zatanna nodded and stood as well. She smoothed down her skirt pulled the sleeves of her sweater down to cover her hands. She looked over to Dick who was staring at her and quirked her brow. He smiled at her before turning and exiting the den. She quickly caught up and together they walked into the dining room.

…

 **A/N: Cliff hanger! uh oh! What's gonna happen?!**

 **Anyway, tell me how you like it so far!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Okay after a little bit of research I believe Zatanna is in fact, Italian. I had a feeling she was because of her name and her father's accent but I wasn't sure. But for the sake of this story, I'm going to go with she is Italian, and therefore, her dad made a lot of Italian food.**

* * *

Dick sat in his usual spot, on the right side next to the head of the table, with Zatanna sitting next to him. And Bruce was occupying his usual seat at the head of the table.

It seemed the billionaire had decided to wait to go over everything with the two of them until Alfred brought out dinner. So they sat in silence, Bruce was doing something on his phone while Dick and Zatanna simply looked around.

Dick mentally sighed as he glanced at Zatanna, today hadn't been as awkward as he thought it would be and that was nice, but he could tell that she was really upset. It made sense of course, but he wished it didn't have to be like that.

He also couldn't help but be annoyed with himself because he was incredibly aware of how absolutely adorable she looked. It was annoying because he shouldn't be thinking about that when she was in an really vulnerable time right now, and in no place for a relationship.

He looked back down at the table before she noticed him staring. They didn't have to wait long before Alfred walked in balancing a tray with three plates of steaming food. Craning his neck, Dick determined that it was fettuccine alfredo.

 _Yesss!_

Alfred's Italian food was excellent. He leaned back and let Alfred place the plate in front of him before setting one in front of Zatanna as well. He noticed her smile contently down at the plate and wondered if this was another favorite of hers.

They ate silently for a few minutes before Bruce cleared his throat, attracting both of the teens' attention.

"Alright, I know this is a very big and sudden change for you, Zatanna, but we are going to have to make the most of it. I assume Dick already showed you to your room and helped you get all of your things to your room, seeing as the boxes are gone." He paused and both of the teens nodded.

"Well, first, Zatanna you will be attending Gotham Academy on scholarship. You will use the zeta that is one block away from the school, we can't be seen taking you because that would be too suspicious."

Dick's brow furrowed and he looked at Bruce incredulously, "That could be dangerous."

"It's only one block, but he's right," the billionaire directed his speech to Zatanna, "So, we will be teaching you some basic self defence."

Dick glanced at the magician who seemed mildly surprised, but said nothing and nodded.

"Second, there will be a few rules."Bruce paused to let that sink in before getting into them," One, Zatanna you can go in the cave but you will not be accompanying me and Dick on patrol. That is too dangerous. Two, lights out by nine on school nights. Three, no discussing hero work while outside of the Manor. Four, do not tell the rest of the team either of our identities, or anything that can help them figure out who we are. And lastly, no going in each other's rooms past nine. Got everything?"

Dick's mouth had fallen open at Bruce's last rule but he quickly recovered and nodded. He looked over and discovered Zatanna doing the same thing. Bruce smirked at Dick fleetingly before turning back to his food. Dick rolled his eyes before doing the same, he couldn't help glancing at Zatanna again. He noticed the girl was just picking at her food mostly and he inwardly sighed, he remembered that stage.

When his parents had died he hadn't eaten much for weeks. Even now it was an issue, he wasn't sure why but his emotional state seemed to like directly to his appetite, and when he was upset he just didn't-couldn't eat. He knew it frustrated Bruce and especially Alfred to no end. Dick wondered if they would have a hard time getting her to eat as well.

Alfred came back by later to clear their plates away and Bruce excused himself. Both teens followed his example and left the table. Dick had walked Zatanna up to her room and said goodnight before retreating to his room as well.

It was saturday night but Dick had told Bruce he wasn't going to patrol tonight. Usually his guardian and mentor would give him a stern lecture on commitment but he seemed to understand now.

He knew that he should be getting his homework done right now, but he just didn't feel like it . He opted instead for a quick shower and just chilling. It was something he very rarely got to go. He sat against the headboard of his bed playing _Call of Duty_ , and before he knew it it was twelve thirty.

 _Damn!_ Are you kidding? Twelve thirty? Not that it was late for the Boy Wonder, but he had planned on getting some sleep! He sighed and turned off the Tv. He put the controller on his nightstand and pulled the covers up. Right as he pulled the got comfortable he froze...was that...was that a scream?

He sat bolt upright and flicked off the covers. He sat ramrod straight until he heard it again and jumped to his feet. He flew to his door and threw it open before taking two giant steps over to Zatanna's room, and as her door met the same fate as his, he saw her curled in a ball in the middle of her bed crying with her eyes still closed.

"Zee…?" He said walking closer.

"Zee?"

Still no answer and he walked closer. He fingered the edge of the bed hesitantly before ultimately deciding she needed comfort and sliding onto it gracefully.

He shook her shoulder lightly, and her eyes flew open. He watched her scan her surroundings until the locked on his face. She looked relieved when she saw something familiar and she latched herself onto him.

Surprised, he froze for a moment before lightly closing his arms around her. She cried into his shoulder and he rubbed circles into her back. She clutched at his shirt frantically as she sobbed and he pulled her closer. They sat there for so long that his legs had started to go numb. He ignored it but eventually had to change positions as he could no longer stand the stiffness.

He pulled her onto his lap and scooted back against the headboard with difficulty and she didn't protest. They sat there like that for what seemed like hours and eventually she fell asleep only whispering a desperate plea for him to stay.

 _D_ _amn it_ she must feel so _alone_ right now. Of course he would stay. He would deal with Bruce in the morning.

He shifted positions one more time and layed back into the pillows. He wasn't super comfortable with zatanna curled up on top of him, but he had promised to stay, and he didn't break promises. He closed his eyes and soon he was fast asleep.

* * *

 **A/N: Okay, I literally started this just so I could do the next to chapters lol. Let me know how you guys like it so far! Geese guys, I'm such a slacker! I still need to finish Spider-Bird and Permanent and I'm sitting here writing this!**


	5. Chapter 5

Dick woke up to the sound of a small , _click_ , and groaned softly. There was a weight on top of him, it wasn't heavy enough to crush him but it was heavy enough to be uncomfortable. His head was also pushed up and tilted sideways by something that felt suspiciously like a head. He winced, why was he so stiff? And sore? And what was that annoying clicking?

He opened his eyes and they were greeted with the harsh white of a pillow case and he groaned again. He moved his head, or tried to anyway, there was still something in his way. He craned his neck and discovered that it was in fact, a head. What... _oh duh!_ Zatanna was on top of him still.

 _Click._

He narrowed his eyes and painfully moved his head so that he could see the other side of the bed. Just as he suspected. His eyes narrowed further.

Selina Kyle stood in front of him holding a camera and smiling from ear to ear.

"Adorable." She said still grinning.

Dick looked incredulously at Bruce who stood with his arms crossed behind Selina. Though his mentor's body language seemed angry, his was smirking. And Dick's mouth opened in shock. What? He wasn't mad?

 _Click._

He glanced at Selina but she was busy looking through the pictures she had already taken. Dick craned his neck again only to see Alfred at the foot of the bed also taking pictures.

This was ridiculous. What even? Why are they taking pictures!?

Dick shifted slowly trying to stretch out his stiff limbs but when Zatanna made a small noise of discontent he froze. He sighed and relaxed back against the bed grumpily. He had been immobile for a very long time, and while he didn't mind because it was for Zatanna, he did not like being so still. And, it wasn't like he enjoyed waking up to people taking pictures of him.

Not being able to do anything else, he went back to glaring at Selina. Mentally willing her to delete the photos. He knew glaring at Alfred was a lost cause because while some people assumed he learned to glare from Bruce, Alfred was the real master there.

Selina looked up from the camera and smirked at him.

"What?" She asked in mock innocence.

"Selina." He whined woman just smirked at him again.

"When did you get here then?" He asked annoyed.

"Last night. I just came in to see how she was doing and imagine my surprise when I find you in here too." She teased.

Dick frowned and glanced down at Zatanna, "Well, she wasn't doing very well. She was crying."

Selina's face became more serious and she nodded.

"We figured, which is the only reason you aren't in trouble right now," Bruce's voice sounded from farther away.

Dick said nothing and turned his head to look at the ceiling. He remembered that she had fallen asleep right before he did so at least she hadn't cried _all_ night.

Dick heard Bruce clear his throat quietly and he glanced at his guardian, who had his eyebrow raised obviously expecting more of an explanation.

"I would have left but she asked me to stay. I'll tell you the rest later, I just don't want to wake her up right now." He answered Bruce's silent request in a whisper because he knew it would probably be really weird for Zatanna to wake up with everyone in here.

Selina and Alfred seemed to take the hint and the both left after another quick picture and smirks. He rolled his eyes frustratedly.

Bruce huffed before following.

"Breakfast is in ten minutes, I hope she is awake by then, Alfred made pancakes." And with that, the man was gone, leaving Dick grinning after him. He loved pancakes!

After a few minutes of sitting still Dick slowly shifter once again, this time not stopping at Zatanna's unknowing protests. Soon the magician started to stir.

She stretched pushing her arms up and her legs outward and he sighed as having some of the pressure relieved. She had been in a ball on top of his chest and abdomen all night. And as much as he hated to admit it, he was pretty small, even for thirteen, so maybe he was a little sore.

Zatanna took a deep breath and slowly blinked open her eyes. She looked around the room once again and when her eyes landed on him they went wide.

She all but jumped off of him and onto the unoccupied space next to him

"Oh my god, I fell asleep! I'm sorry! I didn't even-" She began but he cut her off quickly as he sat up and grabbed her hand.

"Hey, no you're totally fine! Zee, you're good! I don't mind at all." He answered back because he genuinely didn't mind. Yeah he was a little sore, but it was well worth it if she felt any better.

She rubbed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"Alright." She said a bit awkwardly and shifted in the bed.

"Oh, I should probably leave." He laughed nervously and rubbed the back of his neck. He turned and slid off the bed and as he reached the ground he felt something touch his shoulder.

"Hey," He glanced back to see Zatanna leaning forward, "Thank you." She said earnestly and he smiled at her warmly.

"Anytime." He said before making his way out of her room and into his own.


	6. Chapter 6

Dear lord! How the hell had she fallen _asleep on top of him_? What the hell?!

"Ugh!" Zatanna through her arms up in disgust at herself before stalking over to the spacious bathroom and turning the shower on.

She threw her clothes off of her and hopped into the shower hoping the hot water would melt the tension in her body.

Okay but really, how had that even happened? She didn't even remember falling asleep! She remembered crying….

Great not only had she _slept on him_ but he had seen her ball her eyes out. How was she supposed to come back from that? Everything would probably be ten times more awkward now.

He must have been so uncomfortable. She knew he was Robin and everything, but he was still small, even for thirteen. He was basically the same size as her. She winced for him and wondered if she had she already screwed this up.

She washed her hair and body before quickly shaving and stepping out of the shower. She wrapped herself in a towel and walked over to the closet. She hadn't unpacked yet but she had all of her boxes with clothes in them inside of the closet. She pulled on a pair of skinny jeans and a tee-shirt. She threw her hair into a bun and took a deep breath.

She would be fine, he honestly hadn't seemed to mind. And it's not they would get in trouble for it because she was pretty sure Bruce didn't know about that. So, she had no reason to stay up here and hide like a baby.

Yes, that's what she was going to do. She was going to go down stairs and face him because she had done nothing wrong. He had not been weird or mad when he left either. There was no reason not to.

She told this to herself sternly in her head and turned away from the bathroom and walked out of her new bedroom. She passed his room and saw that the door was open and the room was empty. Her stomach lurched and she realized he was already downstairs.

" _No. You are not about to freak out. He is probably in the same boat as you are. Keep it together_!" She thought this to herself rather fiercely because she was not about to behave like a little girl.

She cleared her throat and walked past his room and down the stairs. It took her a minute to remember where the kitchen was,but she found it shortly. When she arrived she was surprised to find not only Bruce, Dick and Alfred, but also a woman she was not familiar with.

She must have looked confused because she heard Dick chuckle and she glanced at him.

He had obviously just gotten out of the shower himself as his hair was wet.

"Zatanna, this is Selina," He courteously introduced the young magician to the woman, "And Selina, this is Zatanna."

The woman-Selina-smiled at her,

"Hello Zatanna!"

Zatanna gave her a shy smile in return and said a small,

"Hello."

Dick motioned for her to sit down and she did. He took a seat next to her and Selina sat down next to him while Bruce remained standing, leaning against the counter. Alfred set plates in front of them and two glasses of milk, one for Dick and one for Zatanna. He then set a mug filled with what Zatanna assumed was coffee in front of Selina and one in front of the empty seat next to her.

"Master Bruce, if you would take a seat." The butler's crisp british accent requested and Bruce sighed. He walked over to the counter and took a seat next to Selina.

"So, Zatanna, have you heard of Catwoman?" Selina asked and she glanced over at her.

"Well, yes, but I don't know much about her. I know she was a thief but she isn't anymore and that she mostly stays around Gotham." Zatanna answered not quite knowing where this was going.

Selina nodded, "Well, because Bruce has chosen to trust you with his Identity and Dick's identity, I have decided that you may as well know who I am. If you don't things could get confusing. So, that being said, I am catwoman. And you were correct I am an ex-thief. I mostly help theses two out with patrol or go out by myself. I don't steal anymore or commit any other crimes."

Zatanna's mouth fell open and she looked at Dick. "So Wally wasn't joking about you knowing Catwoman and him wanting to meet her?"

Dick groaned, "No, but I kinda wish I hadn't told him about her."

Zatanna let out a quiet laugh and Selina raised an eyebrow at them.

"Wally is like obsessed with you." The magician explained.

Selina rolled her eyes.

"Of course, Iris told me he thinks he's a lady's man." Selina laughed then.

"Wait, you know his aunt?" Zatanna asked.

"Oh yes," Selina answered, "I know just about everyone on the league, and most of their secret identities. I'm good friends with Dinah, Lois and Iris."

"Oh, why don't we hear about you more then?" Zatanna hadn't realized that the infamous Catwoman had so many league connections.

"Well, I'd prefer to keep it that way. I am a Gotham girl after all, I wouldn't want people thinking I'm an actual member of the league."

That made sense. Selina probably just didn't want any more attention then she needed. The magician nodded in understanding and they grew silent once more.

A moment later, Alfred placed two pancakes on her plate as well as Dick's and Selina's. He didn't give any to Bruce and she watched curiously as the butler filled the other man's plate with eggs and bacon before doing the same to their plates too. He then put a small saucer of syrup in front of the three with pancakes.

Bruce set the paper he had been reading down and picked up a fork, Dick and Selina did the same and she caught Dick's eye for a moment and he smiled.

"Bruce isn't one for sweet things." He chuckled lightly and she did the same. Of course he wasn't Bruce Wayne, was Batman for Christ's sake. What would the villains of Gotham have to say if they knew Batman had a hankering for pancakes?

She picked up her own fork and began eating as well, she only got through half of a pancake, a few bites of eggs, and a single piece of bacon. She still wasn't feeling very hungry. Sure, she wasn't as nervous about being here. Batman, or Bruce, didn't exactly seem to be in his usual stoic mood, or at least not as much, which meant she didn't feel the need to please. Robin was being as sweet as always and it didn't hurt that he was _Richard Grayson_ , and possibly a long time celebrity crush. So maybe she was feeling less guilty about falling asleep on him now, and more just that typical fangirl excitement.

Alfred, who she realized was probably the famous _Agent A_ she sometimes herd Robin and Wally talk about, was wonderful, and the man could seriously cook! The breakfast was great and dinner last night had been amazing. It reminded her of what her father used to make.

And last but certainly not least, Selina, who she had only just met, seemed to be really nice. She was gorgeous, obviously, with her lightly tanned skin, long black hair, and bright emerald green eyes. And there was just something about her presence, it almost commanded attention and you could just tell that a woman like her was not someone to be trifled with. Not to mention she was Catwoman.

Of course there was something like that when it came to Bruce as well. He also seemed like a very powerful man. And honestly, he was. Not only was he the CEO of a major and very successful company, making him a billionaire, but he was also Batman.

That may be one of the most unsettling things about being here. She was nothing compared to these people. She didn't even compare to Dick, he was the protege of Batman and basically his son, he was heir to Wayne Enterprises. He was already and excellent fighter, hacker and detective. He could take care of himself. He was a mathlete and was a year ahead of where he should be in school yet still in the top percentile, so basically a genius. How did she know all of this? Well, maybe some internet stalking, but she never expected to actually meet him.

Point being, she didn't compare to them. These people didn't need powers or any kind of enhancements to be the best, brightest, and most powerful. All she could do was cast some spells, and not anywhere as well as her father had been able to do.

She was knocked out of her thoughts as Alfred took their plates. Dick hopped off of his chair and she followed, not really knowing what else to do.

"Do you want to finish the movie?" she jumped as she heard Dick's voice.

"Oh, yeah, good idea." She answered and they headed quickly to the den. They entered and positioned themselves just as they had last night and put the movie back on.

"We can go to the cave after lunch if you want, we don't have to if you don't want to but…" He trailed off and she nodded with a forced smile.

"That sounds good." He didn't look too convinced when she answered but he nodded as well.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Okay, hey guys! I just wanted to let you guys in on some things! So for the purpose of my fic Zatanna lost her father on a friday night and she also spent the night at the cave that night. She fell asleep with Dick on the following saturday, making this Sunday. Thanks for reading!**

 **As always, I own nothing.**

They has finished the movie quickly due to the fact that there had been only about ten minutes left. Zatanna had said something about finishing getting unpacked and Dick had left her to it. He had gone to his room to make sure he had all of his homework finished, which he didn't.

Dick was almost finished with his math homework when he heard a light knocking on his door.

His head shot up and he smiled as he spotted Zatanna.

"Hey, Zee." Dick gestured at her to come in and she stepped in hesitantly and looked around. Dick was always glad he kept his room clean at times like this. Then the reason for her being here suddenly occurred to him and he glanced at the clock, _eleven-fifty-seven._

"Oh, we should probably get some lunch now huh?" He said laughing softly at himself and he saw her smile.

"That would be nice." She answered, "Then Mnt. Justice right?"

Dick nodded.

"Sounds good to me." Dick pushed his math book, paper, and pencil to the end of his bed and rolled onto his back before springing to his feet. He turned and walked out of the room next to Zatanna.

"Did you finish unpacking?" He asked conversationally.

"Pretty much, everything that I need unpacked anyway like clothes and everything." She answered and he nodded.

"Speaking of clothes, Alfred said you school uniforms should be here today, he might already have them actually." He heard Zatanna sigh and he glanced at her.

"Uniforms."She explained and he laughed.

"Tell me about it."

It was her turn to laugh now, "Please tell me it's at least cute."

"Well, you like skirts right?" He saw her nod out of the corner of his eye, "Then I guess not too bad. Girls wear either a plain navy blue skirt or a plaid blue and maroon skirt with a white button up and a sweater or you can wear a blazer. How does that sound?" He smiled and waited for her answer.

"Hmm." She pretended to think about it and he laughed, "Well, as long as the skirts aren't down to my ankles, that doesn't sound too bad."

"Oh,dang! I forgot about the tie." He said in mock horror.

"A tie?" Seriously?" Her voice feigned disbelief, "You know what, I don't think I can go now. I'm going to have to go somewhere else."

They both laughed as they entered the kitchen. Alfred had the bar decked out with just about every sandwich topping imaginable. They sat in the same seats as they had used that morning and told Alfred what they would like on their sandwich. They ate quickly and said a quick thanks before walking over to the study.

Dick knocked on the door and they heard what sounded like people bustling around before someone called, "come in."

Dick opened the door and walked in. "Selina was leaning against Bruce's desk looking a little flustered and Bruce was in his seat looking at them cooly. Dick couldn't help rolling his eyes and pulling a face.

"Really? Geese you guys are like rabbits." He glanced at Zatanna hoping she didn't catch on but it wasn't like she was stupid or something. She had a light blush and she coughed to cover her nervous laughter.

"Oh please kitten, it's key to making long relationships work." Selina rolled his eyes again.

"Let's just go." Dick sighed and lead the way to the grandfather clock and moved the hands. The clock slid away and the door opened revealing the stairs. He looked at Zatanna and he almost laughed at her awed expression. He had been like that for weeks after he found out about the cave, he hadn't expected any different from her.

"Be back by six." Bruce called as they entered the cave.

They moved quickly through the cave and over to the Zeta, Dick only stopping to grab his sunglasses. They punched in the coordinates into the zeta and the familiar monotonous female voice announced their arrival to the mountain.

"Just remember no real names in the cave." He reminded her gently and she nodded.

They barely moved two steps before Wally came zooming over with a plate full of Megan's burned cookies.

"Hey Rob, hey Zee. How ya liking the Manor Zee?" He asked hurriedly.

"Shut up, kid idiot!" Robin hissed and Zatanna laughed, leave it to Wally to blow everything.

"It's really nice, thanks." Zatanna replied.

"Not _too nice_ I hope." Wally smirked and waggled his eyebrows.

"Shut up Wally!" Robin growled and the speedster laughed before zooming away. Zatanna rolled her eyes and started towards the kitchen. Robin followed, assuming that was most likely where everyone was headed. They walked in a comfortable silence because as much as he was known for talking, he sometimes enjoyed silence too.

When they reached the kitchen they were greeted warmly by Megan and Kalder. Wally simply smirked at them and Artemis nodded at them.

"So how was your first night with Robin and Batman, Zatanna?" Megan asked kindly. Zatanna glanced at him and blushed and he just smiled.

"Fine, thanks." The magician answered.

"Did you meet Catwoman?" Wally was suddenly very interested in the conversation.

Zatanna rolled her eyes and nodded.

"Oh just shut up already, Wally!" Artemis yelled and threw a chip at him. Wally caught it in his mouth and smirked at her.

"Whatever you say, your highness." He mocked still smirking. The rest of the team laughed at their banter and began talking more normally. They sat there talking and eating for the better part of an hour before they moved onto the couches. Kalder had suggested they watch a movie as a bonding exercise. Robin and Wally sat on the floor in front of the couch, the three girls sat on the couch and Conner and Kalder occupied the other two chairs. Megan chose the movie _Star Wars_ and pushed play. The movie ended around teo and they all got up to stretch.

"So Zee, are you starting at Gotham Academy tomorrow?" Artemis asked and Robin looked at Zatanna trying to gauge her reaction.

"Oh, yeah, I forgot about that." The magician nodded at her.

Robin wondered briefly what Artemis thought about that. He knew she went there but the rest of the team didn't yet. How was she going to cover it with Zatanna now going there. He knew Artemis had always suspected that he went there but she didn't actually have proof. And he had planned to help Zatanna out through the day with any classes they had together but that would be difficult with Artemis there. She might wonder why Richard Grayson was being so friendly and why Zatanna seemed to be so familiar with him. He would have to tell her to make sure to act like this was their first time meeting.

"That's cool." Artemis commented casually.

"Yeah, I guess so." Zatanna answered. She looked nervous and Dick felt for her. He hadn't exactly been thrilled the night before his first day at school. When he had found out he had been excited because he had alway heard of it but never been able to actually attend a school. The first day he had found out just how cruel people could be. He knew Zatanna wouldn't be subject to that kind of mistreatment though, there was no reason for it. But he understood that she was probably very nervous about it.

Robin looked down at his phone as it buzzed silently. He swiped the screen and discovered a text from Alfred, it read:

 _I have just received Miss Zatanna's school uniforms. Please inform her of this and let her know that I have put them in her bedroom._

"Speaking of school, Zee, Agent A just said he got your uniforms. He left them in your room so you can see those when you get back if you want." Robin informed her with a smile and a matching smile wound its way on her face.

"Moment of truth then, I guess." She teased expanding on their earlier discussion.

"I guess so," He replied, his smile turning playful, "Will she be going to Gotham Academy, or will the tie be a deal breaker?"

Zatanna sighed dramatically, "I guess we'll just have to go find out won't we? Come on Wonder Boy, let's go take a look."

Robing laughed and held an arm out, "After you."

As Zatanna walked past him she put a hand over her mouth in mock shock, "Oh my, what a gentleman, and here I thought chivalry was dead."

His mouth quirked in a lopsided grin, "Guess I proved you wrong then. Might want to get used to that."

They laughed together as they walked down the hallway and to the zeta beams with the rest of the team staring them down. She really was a lot of fun he realized, and it looked like they shared the same sense of humor. Plus, she had totally helped him butcher the english language when they were looking for RT. Not to mention she was super cute. So, pretty much perfect.

He punched in the codes while thinking about this and he mistyped the coordinates. Zatanna sighed again and brushed his hand out of the way before typing in the correct coordinates and she turned towards him.

"I guess this makes us even then." She smirked at him and he couldn't help but laugh again.

"Maybe you should be the one getting used to being wrong…" she trailed off and turned back around.

The zetas beamed them to the cave and he was still in shock. Yes, yup, she was definitely perfect. She made her way up the stairs and he followed. She stopped at the clock and let him open the door. He really couldn't blame her, she had already had one almost encounter with Bruce and Selina's more intimate interactions and he doubted she wanted anymore. He honestly couldn't count the time he had accidently walked in on them at least making out and every single time he had pointed out that they had a bedroom for that and _honestly they should use it._ But he didn't really want to think about that right now. Dick lead the way up the stairs and walked her to her room.

"Hey, I just wanted to let you know that I have patrol tonight, since I didn't go last night. We won't be home until late, like two in the morning late, but if you need anything Alfred should be around and you could text me I guess. But we won't leave till' after dinner anyway so…" He trailed off and tried to gauge her expression.

She cleared her throat, "Um, you didn't miss patrol because of…" She trailed off but he guess what she was referring too and chuckled.

"No, I just decided to stay home incase you needed anything on you first night."He answered gently.

Understanding dawned on her face and she nodded, a blush becoming prominent on her features. "Thanks." she mumbled.

He smiled charmingly at her, "Don't mention it." Then he backed up.

"So, dinner is at seven, pretty much every night, and I'll see you there I guess, or you can come see me before that if you get bored. I'll just be doing homework." He said casually as he backed up and she nodded with a smile planted back on her face.

"Alright, Dick, I'll see you at seven." She smirked and his grin once again took a playful turn.

"Sure, if you can make it that long without seeing me." He smirked

"Ugh."Her voice sounded high pitched and indignant, she was playing along wonderfully, "I'll see you promptly at seven Mr. Grayson." Her voice was proud and stern.

"Whatever you say _Miss Zatara._ " He answered before turning to his room and laughing as he entered. He heard her own laughter as her door closed softly.

As he reached his bed he fell forward on top of it and chuckled to himself. He could feel his heart beating abnormally fast and he knew exactly why. Zatanna Zatara was better company than he had imagined and it was really getting to his head, or maybe his stomach due to the butterflies that refused to settle. He just needed to keep his cool. But he couldn't help being excited about seeing her at seven, well if she lasted that long. He laughed again before starting back on his homework.

 **A/N: Just to let you know in case you didn't get it, the thing Zatanna was referring to when she asked Dick about missing patrol was her falling asleep on him. She wasn't sure if it was her fault that he missed it.**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Hey guys! I know it's been a while but I just got a new puppy(His name's Knightly!)! He is super cute but a lot of work! Thanks for being patient! Love you guys!**

* * *

No, Zatanna was not going to go see him. It didn't matter that she was bored out of her mind, she was going to win. She was determined to beat him at _something_.

But, _ugh_ , there was nothing to do. She had already unpacked and had attempted to read something, but even that hadn't been able to hold her attention for long. She had sighed before closing the copy of _Pride and Prejudice_ she had been reading and tossed it to the foot of her spacious bed. She hopped off of said bed and crossed the room to retrieve the remote from off of the dresser.

When she was comfortably seated on her bed once more she clicked the Tv on and flipped through channels. Her boredom was steadily rising when she caught a glimpse of the local news headline, _**Joker Escapes Once Again!**_ , it grabbed her attention and she paused. The newscaster was looking at the screen seriously as she recounted the events.

" _The Joker once again escapes Arkham Asylum, with the help of Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy. While local authorities are still unsure as to how he has managed to escape again, we are assured that they are doing everything in their power to make sure he is apprehended. We have yet to see anything of Batman on the scene but I think it's safe to say that Gotham's Caped Crusader will be making an appearance and aiding the Gotham PD. Back to you James."_

Zatanna watched as the camera panned out then switched to a new scene, showing a broad shouldered middle aged man.

" _Thank you Gale. There you have it folks, the Joker is out again. We would advise citizens to stay in their homes unless it is necessary to leave. Try to avoid popular places, as he has been known to hit places with the most people. We can only hope that the GCPD, Batman, and Robin can sort this out quickly. Until then, stay safe."_

Zatanna quickly changed the channel after that, she had heard Gotham was crazy but wow. They had made that sound so normal, which it kinda was she supposed. She suppressed a shudder as she thought of the Joker.

How could Robin face him? Zatanna understood Batman and maybe even Catwoman being able to stand up to him, but _Robin?_ He was the same age as her and she was terrified of the deranged clown, and she had heard the stories about what he did to people. She knew there was no way she would be facing him anytime soon if ever.

Zatanna winced when she thought of the stories Wally had told her. Horrible stories really. She did not like to think about the fact that Robin even had to face people like him. What if the Joker managed to get his hands on him? What if he did to Robin what he did to all of those other people? She knew some leaguers thought that Batman was crazy to allow him to go on patrol with him, and Zatanna was starting to identify more with them. Robin was her age and practically the same size as her!

Maybe he shouldn't be allowed to run around Gotham dodging bullets and flipping over knives. She was suddenly glad that she wasn't being allowed on patrol with the dynamic duo. She could handle the straightforward covert stuff with the team, but not deranged, psychotic clowns with explosives. Zatanna cringed as she realized that Robin would probably be looking for the killer Clown tonight.

Maybe she shouldn't be worried though, after all Robin could take care of himself plus he would have Batman and maybe even Catwoman with him. Yes, he would be fine. And besides, it's not like he hadn't faced the Joker before and walked away perfectly fine. So yeah, she would stop worrying.

...

Zatanna walked out of her room at six fifty four when she heard a soft knock on her door. She smirked at the figure in front of her.

He smirked, "Miss me?"

Zatanna laughed, "No, why? Did you want me to?"

He said nothing but smiled and turned towards the stairs. They walked silently down the stairs and into the dining room. Selina was already sitting down and doing something on her phone, and Bruce had yet to arrive. They took their seats and both of them pulled out their own phones. When Zatanna glanced up from her phone Bruce was seated at the table. She raised and eyebrow, how had she not noticed him come in? How did he manage to do that, he was a pretty big man.

Zatanna almost huffed as she looked at him and then over to Dick, she knew they were not biologically related but…Dick was like a walking mini Bruce. She laughed softly and Dick glanced over at her. Zatanna just shook her head, still smiling.

Zatanna looked up as the door to the kitchen opened and Alfred walked out holding a tray. He set all four plates of salmon and rice down in front of everyone as well as four glasses of water. Zatanna once again copied Dick and began eating when he did.

"Did you see the news?" Dick was the first to break the silence with a question directed to Bruce.

"Yes, I did." Bruce answered and looked over at his young ward.

"And…?" He trailed off questioningly.

Bruce sighed, set fork down, wiped his mouth with his napkin, and folded his hands before answering, " The Joker escaped again, so we will be investigating what happened at Arkham. Then, if we don't get any solid leads tonight, tomorrow you and I will be working on locating him."

Dick had put his fork down too, " And when we find him…" He trailed off again but Zatanna was still following the conversation easily.

"We'll see." Bruce's statement sounded finite but he didn't looked surprised when Dick opened his mouth.

"Okay but, I'm not a kid and I've fought him before so-"

"Dick, we aren't going to talk about this right now." Bruce said pointedly and Dick scowled.

"Don't Kitten, a scowl doesn't look good on you." Selina smirked. Zatanna laughed quietly and Dick rolled his eyes.

"Fine." Dick sighed and leaned back. Zatanna's brows knit together though. Why would he _want_ to face the Joker? What sane person would _want_ to face him? She turned back to her food before anyone noticed her expression.

Dinner was pretty quiet after that, they talked briefly about their days and Bruce was the first to leave followed by Selina, then Dick and Zatanna once again left together.

Dick, who she was starting to think of as a perfect gentleman, walked her to her room again.

"Dick…" She waited until he looked at her before continuing, "Why do you want to fight the Joker so badly?"

Zatanna saw a brief look a realization flash across his face before he answered, "Is that what you looked so worried about?"

Of course he noticed, Zatanna thought rather bitterly.

He waited for a second but that was not something Zatanna was about to answer, so he continued, "It's not that I want to fight him per say…but I can't stand by and do nothing when people are in danger. And I know some people would raise the argument that Batman can just face him and take him back to Arkham, but they don't understand what that's like. Bruce...he isn't always around but he's like my father, and I won't just sit around doing nothing when I know I can help him and the people of Gotham. I hate not knowing what's going on and I don't like being out of the loop, so the best way to avoid that is by being where the action is. Trust me, I wish I didn't need to, but that's just how things work for me."

Zatanna nodded slowly, she understood. If she had a chance to change what happened to her father she would. Dick didn't want to have to lose another father. She wondered how that must feel. At least her father was still alive.

Dick smiled at her, "Good, so I'll see you tomorrow. Big day!"

"Ugh, don't remind me!" Zatanna joked.

"Awe, come on Zee, ties aren't _that_ bad." Dick smirked.

Zatanna looked at him skeptically and he laughed, "Okay you got me there, but I promise, tomorrow won't be too bad. I'll be with you for most of the day anyway, I'm your student liaison."

She laughed, "Promise?"

"Promise." He answered.

"I'll hold you too that wonder boy." She felt a smirk grow on her face as she stepped into her room.

"I don't doubt it." He answered smiling.

She flashed him one last smile before closing the door and turning to her bathroom. He wasn't kidding, tomorrow was a big day. She sighed as she pulled her pajamas on, she would get through it like everything else. Plus, Dick did mention that he would be with her for most of the day.


	9. Chapter 9

Robin was currently sitting on the edge of a five story building with Batman on his right and Catwoman standing behind him. So far patrol had been incredibly boring. They had checked in with Gordon down at Arkham and found no clues as to where the Clown Prince of Crime might be. So, now they were searching through all of The Joker's known hiding spots. The building they were sitting on was across from his last known hideout. Everything else had been as devoid of clues as Arkham.

Next to Robin, Batman put the infrared binoculars he had been using down,

"Ten heat signatures. All heavily armed. Robin go in through the east side of the building, down the halway and down the stairs. Catwoman-"

"I'll take the fire escape." Catwoman cut him off, Robin could almost here Batman's eye roll.

"Fine, I'll enter through the south window. Robin, you should be the first one in, stay in the rafters, try to spook them but do not engage. Understood?" Batman waited for a reply and Robin nodded despite his frustration.

Batman turned his full attention onto Robin, " _Understood?"_

"Yes!" Robin replied exasperatedly before pulling out his grappling hook and swinging to the next building.

He crossed the roof and swung himself over it, he held on with one hand and silently opened the latch of the window with the other. Robing carefully lowered himself into the empty room and crossed its length silently. He jogged lightly down the hall and turned the corner to move down the stairs. When he reached the bottom he lowered himself to the floor and peeked around the corner. The Joker was nowhere to be seen but there were five men in the corner of the large room playing some kind of card game and two standing watch, three were unaccounted for.

Luckily there was a box of crates about three feet from the entrance to the stairs and crossing the distance without being spotter would be easy. He leapt silently behind them and could now stand freely. He looked across the room and saw what looked like a light switch in an unoccupied corner of the room. He felt his signature smirk grow on his face as he pulled a batarang out of his belt. One well aimed throw took out the lights and the chumps were scrambling. In the confusion Robin scaled the boxes and launched himself into the rafters.

"ALRIGHT, ALRIGHT! SHUT IT!" Robin heard one of the henchmen scream and a second later the lights were back on. He silently surveyed them as the three missing men ran in through the same stairwell he had just come through and he winced. He hadn't even known there was anyone else up there. Bats would not be pleased.

"Boss, what's this?" One of the goons asked.

"Oh...is that?"Another started to ask.

"Yeah, yeah it is. He's here." The boss replied.

Robin rolled his eyes as he waited for Batman and Catwoman, and luckily he didn't have to wait long. The lights went out again and he heard someone scramble for the lightswitch only to find that it didn't work. Guns started firing and and Robin heard a grunt and someone fall to the floor then another grunt and the same sound. He smirked and hopped off of his perch. He switched on his night vision and attacked the closest guy to him knocking him out within thirty seconds. He only got to one more guy before the lights came back on and only one man remained conscious. Catwoman and Batman were backing him into a corner and the man was shrinking away from them.

"Where is the Joker?" Batman growled in his usual interrogation voice.

"I-I don't k-know! He didn't t-tell us! H-he just said he h-had some business to take c-care of! P-please! That all I know!" Robin rolled his eyes as the man cowered they were all such babies really. Very few men actually stood up to Batman, and the ones that tried usually regretted it.

Batman growls in frustration before quickly knocking the man out. Robin and Catwoman tied up the men while Batman called Gordon. It was easy enough to do if a little annoying. When they had finished Catwoman and Robin made their way onto the roof as Batman talked with Gordon.

"So…?" Catwoman started with a smirk that made Robin uneasy of her next wods.

"What?" He asked almost defensively.

"You like her." It was a statement, not a question directed to the Boy Wonder.

"Who?" Robin asked but he knew exactly who she was talking about. Selina simply raised an eyebrow obviously indicating that she knew he was aware of the girl she was referring to.

"I don't- I mean I guess but-..." Robin sighed "How did you know?"

"Oh it's obvious, Honey." Catwoman's smirk grew and Robin frowned.

"Great." Robin mumbled.

Catwoman laughed and he looked up at her moodily.

"I wouldn't worry kitten. She is just as new at this as you, she likely doesn't even realize." Catwoman ruffled his hair. "Although, I am a bit surprised B let her stay with you."

"I trust him to make the right decisions." Batman's voice suddenly sounded behind them, but it didn't startle them.

"Seriously Catwoman, I'm still only thirteen ya know." Robin rolled his eyes under his mask.

"Yes well, you won't be thirteen forever, will you?" Catwoman had a warning edge to her voice, but not in a threatening way, more like a motherly tone.

Robin snorted and didn't even bother holding back another eye roll. Batman moved past them both to watch the policemen loading the men into cruisers. It went off without a hitch and the three vigilantes moved back to the Batmobile. Robin would have prefered to have taken his R-cycle but sadly, it was undergoing some repair, seeing as he did crash it into a fountain. Not that it was his fault, he had been handcuffed at the time of the crash, also not his fault.

So, because of his bad luck and broken R-Cycle, he was crammed in the middle seat in between Batman and Catwoman. Bruce _still_ refused to get it modified to fit more people comfortably. Apparently he was still trying to hold onto some piece of "I am Batman, and I work alone. _Yeah right._

The drive back to the cave was relatively short, and upon arrival Robin immediately took a shower and headed to his room. Honestly, he was a little stressed out about his apparently 'obvious' feelings for Zatanna. What if she had noticed and didn't feel the same way? He didn't want her to feel obligated to act a certain way around him, especially this soon after her father left. He didn't want this to turn into a mess and be a mistake. If it got awkward they would still have to see each other all the time.

Dick laid on his bed and sighed, he tried to relax enough to sleep but failed. After half of the night spent tossing and turning he finally fell into an uneasy sleep.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: There will be some OCs in this chapter, and this one will be a little longer than normal. Also, Zatanna is 14 bc if she was 13 she would still be in middle school. O, she will be about a year older than Dick but that's okay.**

* * *

"RICHARD!"

Zatanna had not expected to be woken by and angry Bruce Wayne screaming for his ward, but apparently that was what this morning would entail.

"WHAT THE HELL?!"

Zatanna sat up and rubbed the last bits of sleep out of her eyes. As she did, she heard a very familiar cackle.

"Uh, sorry Bruce, I couldn't resist." Zatanna heard the boy wonder say apologetically.

"This is ridiculous! I can't go to work like this! You're lucky I'm not grounding you!" The billionaire growled just a little quieter.

Zatanna stretched then pulled herself off of her bed before peeking her head out of her door and failing to stifle laughter.

Dick turned to glance at her and smirked and Bruce, who was covered in what looked like green slime, narrowed his eyes at his ward.

Zatanna slapped her hand over her mouth to keep herself from laughing too loudly at the man in front of her. Dick didn't. He laughed openly at his guardian.

Both teens turned to look at the stairwell as they heard someone approaching and a second later Selina appeared and stopped cold. For a moment Zatanna thought Dick was going to get yelled at again, then the ailurophile burst into laughter. Dick was next to laugh again and this time, zatanna didn't bother hiding her laughter. Bruce through his hands up in exasperation before turning on his heel and marching down the stairs.

Still giggling, Zatanna ducked back into her room and headed for the shower. She turned on the hot water and got undressed before jumping into the flow. After she was done, she brushed her teeth, got dressed in her uniform, blow dried and straightened her hair, and put just a little bit of makeup on, mostly concealer to hide the dark circles under her eyes. No one needed to know that she was up most nights crying.

She walked out of her bathroom in a skirt and her button up shirt and heard a knock on her door.

"Come in." She called, just loud enough that they would be able to hear.

The door opened and revealed the person behind it to be Selina, Zatanna hadn't been expecting that. The graceful woman walked to her bed and sat down on the edge of it.

"How are you doing, hun? Ready for your first day?" She asked.

"Um, yeah, as ready as I'll ever be I think." Zatanna smiled and moved her hair behind her ear.

"Mmm" Selina nodded, "It won't be too bad, and Dick will be with you for most of the day, he'll make sure you're alright." She stated and Zatanna knew she was right.

Zatanna nodded and, walking to her bed, she grabbed the sweater and the blazer off of the edge of her bed next to the woman and held them up.  
"Sweater or blazer?" She asked with a small smile, Selina smiled back.

"Sweater." the emerald eyed woman determined.

Zatanna nodded and pulled it over her white button up before heading to her dresser and pulling out some socks.

"You think they'll let me wear these?" She asked pulling on the thigh high socks.

Selina nodded, "Oh yes, most of the girls there do."

Zatanna sighed, "Really? I was like, the only one that did it at my old school."

"I think you will find that the girls in Gotham can be very different from most girls. Especially the ones at Gotham Academy. They all have moms who got rich by hiking up their dresses or skirts and pulling their shirts down too low. Don't be intimidated by them though, I doubt very many of them will grow up to be much different than their mothers, and that may sound cruel but you will see what I mean when you get there. Make sure you find a good group of girls to hang out with. Dick knows most of the bad ones and can point them out to you."

Zatanna nodded, at least she would be prepared. Then she thought of something and laughed, "Wait, so you're saying they're all gold diggers?"

Selina smirked, "Yes, so don't be surprised if you see them hanging around Dick, even some of the older girls. He's used to it by now. He's a cute kid, I'm sure he will be a heart breaker when he gets older, but the older girls are definitely more interested in the money they could get out of him for now."

Zatanna's mouth had dropped open when she had started that little story and she started laughing again, "No way!"

Selina laughed too "I know, I know."

"He's so young!"Zatanna exclaimed.

"You both are, hon. But anyway, try to stay away from girls like that. Like I said Dick will be able to point them out for you."

Zatanna nodded again before slipping her flats on. "Alright, thanks Selina,"

The woman nodded and stood, "Let me know if you need anything Zatanna, I'm not always around but there's usually a way to reach me." Selina's mouth grew into a smirk," I know living in a house full of boys can be...interesting to say the least. Especially these boys, they can be very hard headed. Don't let them get you down, and if they do, I'll deal with that."

Zatanna laughed softly, "Good to know, thanks again."

Selina inclined her head and walked silently out the door with one last smile.

Zatanna took one last look around the room before grabbing her backpack and phone, and heading out the door. She scrolled briefly through her contacts on hunch and smiled when she saw a new contact, _Selina Kyle_.As she was not paying attention she bumped into something, or _someone._

"Oh, hey Dick." She smiled at him shyly.

"Good morning." He replied happily.

She noticed he was in khakis and the same white shirt she was wearing, but he had a navy blue blazed with the school insignia on it, and he had a tie hanging around his neck.

"Ready for your first day?" Dick asked her as they descended the stairs.

"I think so, Selina helped."

Dick nodded, his smile growing, "Yeah, she has a way of doing that."

"She's gorgeous." Zatanna said, almost envying.

Dick laughed, " Well, yeah, she is. But, of course, there's a lot more to her than that."

"Well duh, I mean, just look at her um… nightlife?" Zatanna still wasn't one hundred percent sure if she could say Catwoman out loud even in the house.

"Yeah exactly." Dick smirked, "Nightlife."

By now they had arrived in the kitchen and took their usual seats. Selina was nowhere to be seen and Bruce was already seated and reading the morning addition of the _Gotham Gazette_ , he had obviously showered and changed.

"Hey, Alfie." Dick chirped pleasantly.

"Good morning Master Dick, Miss Zatanna." The British butler nodded toward them, "What'll it be this morning?"

"Just eggs for me, thanks Alfie."

"And you Miss Zatanna?" The butler inquired.

"Same for me, thanks." Zatanna decided to keep it simple because, yeah, Selina had helped but she was still a little nauseous. She was thinking maybe she shouldn't eat too much. She didn't want to start at her new school throwing up, somehow she didn't think that would make a very good first impression.

Breakfast didn't take very long for Alfred to prepare, or for them to consume. Dang, the man could cook. Much better than her father could, for a moment she allowed herself to think fondly of the big messes he would make in the kitchen when he attempted to make anything other than Italian.

She couldn't help a small smile and she looked at her lap. She glanced to the side to see Dick looking at her curiously and she blushed and shook her head. He simply looked away and they sat quietly as Alfred briefed Bruce on his schedule, which was unsurprisingly very long. He was the CEO of Wayne Tech. after all.

"So, got everything?"

Zatanna once again glanced at Dick and smiled at his cocky expression. "I think so."

"You sure?" He asked, smirk still firmly in place.

She tilted her head and smiled.

Dick cleared his throat and adjusted his tie importantly and she giggled. She reached her hand up to her neck, surprised to find that he had been right.

"I guess that's a point for me then." He laughed and she rolled her eyes at his reference to their earlier game.

"Be right back." She sighed tragically, "I guess I really can't get out of it."

"Nope." His smirk grew into a lazy smile as she walked out. He really was cute she realized.

She hurried up to her room and grabbed her tie. She rolled her eyes as she realized she had no clue how to tie it. She sat there hopelessly for a moment before laughing at herself. She was a magician!

"Eit eit" She whispered.

She stuffed the tie underneath the sweater and, satisfied with her appearance, left the room and headed back down the stairs.

Alfred was waiting in the main entryway with Dick walking towards him holding his backpack and hers.

"Thanks." She huffed as she reached them and he offered her a nonchalant smile in return.

"So, zeta tubes right?" Zatanna had almost forgotten about that.

Dick nodded, "Yeah, and today, at least, I'm going to go with you. You still don't know how to get to school from the tube, and Gotham is a pretty bad place to be if you don't know your way around."

Zatanna nodded slowly as they turned, "It kinda seems like it would be a bad place to be in general with the way everyone talks about it."

Dick shrugged as the walked, "I mean, you're not wrong. It's not great, but Gotham Academy is in one of the better parts of town so, not as bad. Which by the way, is the only reason Bruce is letting you walk to school, even if it is only a few blocks. If GA was in a rougher area we would have figured something else out."

"Mmm." Zatanna hummed, "And is he still planning on teaching me some self defense?"

Dick smiled back at her, "Well he was going to leave that more to Selina, if that's okay. I can help out too though."

Zatanna couldn't help but feel relieved, Selina was nice enough, but really she was just glad she didn't have to train with Batman. Bruce was intimidating enough, but Batman, he was a whole nother level of scary.

"That sounds great."

"Cool."

Dick lead them over to the study and didn't bother knocking before entering this time. Zatanna was relieved to see it was empty, no awkward encounters this time.

They paced toward the grandfather clock, Dick turned the handel and the entrance revealed itself. They made their way quietly down the stairs and into the batcave. Dick punched in the coordinates easily and they were off in a _whoosh_.

Zatanna grabbed onto the wall of the...telephone booth? She stabilized herself with it and stood up straighter.

"Okay, we have like ten minutes to walk two blocks, shouldn't be too hard." Dick stated, poking his head out of the tight booth.

Zatanna nodded when he glanced back at her and he stepped out of the booth. She followed, as she stepped out she gave the alley a cautious lookover. She followed Dick out of the alley and noticed he looked just as cautious. That put her on edge, she thought he would be more comfortable here in Gotham.

As they emerged out onto the street she looked around, taking in the city, this was her first time here after all.

It was dark and damp, even though it hadn't rained. Today's sky was clear yet the atmosphere seemed to be gloomy and grey. The city and its people almost seemed to be sick. The buildings were either very slick and polished glass, or dark and grimy. In the distance she could see a few crumbling buildings and rotting sheds. She wrinkled her nose at the sheer despair that seemed to resonate from the people and their city. The air smelled kind of sour. She heard car horns honking and people here didn't seemed to be even a little ashamed of dropping the F-bomb, she heard it frequently.

"Yeah, it's not for everyone." Dick said almost darkly.

Zatanna didn't answer, she just walked silently, taking care to stay close to the undercover Boy Wonder.

It didn't take them the ten minutes to get to the school. It had taken about six and now they were closing in on a big open gate. The school was huge. It looked old but she could tell there had been some upgrades. There were students mingling on the steps leading up to the courtyard, and others leaning on the pillars at the top of the stairs.

She saw Dick wave at a pretty redhead at the bottom of the stairs who was talking to a blonde girl. Dick took ahold of her wrist and pulled her over to them.

"Hey Dick, who's this?" The redhead asked kindly.

"This is Zatanna, Zatanna this is Barbara Gordon," He gestured towards the redhead, "and this is Bette Kane." Then he gestured to the blonde.

Zatanna smiled, "Hey."

"Her dad just transferred to a Wayne Tech. facility here in Gotham." Dick told them confidently.

Barbara nodded, "So that's how you guys met?"

Zatanna nodded along with Dick.

"Cool," Bette commented, "So, what grade are you in?"

"Ninth, but I'm not sure what classes I have yet, I still haven't gotten my schedule." Zatanna had actually forgotten about that.

Bette nodded, "That's okay, you will get it in home room, and you should have a student liaison."

"Yup, I'm her student liaison." Dick chirped up and Bette rolled her eyes.

Zatanna just smiled then scanned the steadily growing crowd of people. Wait...was that…. No way. _Artemis?_

She looked at Dick who had been following her gaze and he smirked. She had about a million questions, but she wisely held her tongue, this wasn't the place.

Zatanna listened to the conversations of passersby as well as her own groups as she waited for the bell to ring. They had about three minutes to go when a petite brown haired girl with green eyes a-nd cute freckles walked up with a tall black haired boy on her tail.

"Hey guys, who's this?" She asked coming to a stop next to them, the boy looked at Zatanna curiously.

"I'm Zatanna, and I'm new, obviously." She smiled at them and they returned the favor.

"I'm Penny, this dork is Dean." The girl, Penny, piped happily, "Beckett not here yet?"

Dick shook his head, "He's probably just late." The five of them laughed, Zatanna decided that Beckett being late must be a regular occurrence.

"No, he is not!" Everyone turned to see a short but cute African American boy jogging over towards them. Zatanna joined in when they laughed this time.

The bell rang just as Beckett reached the group and Dick bumped her shoulder lightly and nodded towards the building. She swallowed before nodding and following him up the stairs. She took a deep breath and gathered her courage before stepping into the building.


	11. Chapter 11

Dick lead the way to the front office through the crowded foyer of the school. They didn't have far to go but the amount of teens walking past and chatting made it seem like a long way. Dick glanced behind him to make sure Zatanna was still right behind him and was pleased to see that she was.

She looked nervous. The curious looks students were sending her probably weren't really helping her feel very welcome. He gave her a reassuring smile which she returned, or she tried to at least.

They reached the office and Dick pushed the door open and paused, holding it as Zatanna walked through.

"Thanks." She murmured.

"Your welcome." Dick smirked before leading her up to the front desk.

"Ms. Julie, this is Zatanna."

The skinny blonde haired woman looked up at them, she might have been considered pretty if not for the pinchedness of her features. They only looked so pinched because of her tendency to look down her nose at people, like she was somehow better than everyone that walked through the door.

"Ah the new student," She said importantly, "Here." She slid a clipboard over to Zatanna.

"Fill this out."

Zatanna grabbed the clipboard and Dick lead her over to some chairs as she filled out the papers. They sat for a few minutes before Zatanna stood and walked back over to the counter to hand in the clipboard.

Ms. Julie took the clipboard and looked it over like she was counting on there being some kind of mistake. When she had checked everything and apparently found no mistakes, Ms. Julie handed Zatanna her schedule and held another copy out to, the still sitting, Dick. He quickly got up and took the paper before she could start complaining. He nudged Zatanna and lead her out of the office before looking down at the scedual.

Period

Class

Room

1

Geometry 102

2

Anatomy Honors 110

Break

3

Study Hall 118

4

World History Honors 205

Lunch Cafe

5

AP English 218

6

Art 210

Break

7

Biology Honors 118

"Not bad. You only have one bad teacher, but sadly that would be your first period class." He smirked at her as she studied her schedule.

Zatanna winced, "What's she like?"

Dick's smile grew mischievous, "Oh, the usual, hates new kids, loves giving detention on the first day." He drawled casually and she looked up sharply.

As soon as she saw his expression she gave his arm a swatt and laughed.

"No! Really, what's she like?"

Dick laughed, "She really isn't that bad unless you like to talk in class, and I do, so you probably won't have a problem with her."

Zatanna smiled, "Why am I not surprised." Dick heard her sigh like he was a bother and laughed again.

"Alright, let's get going." Dick started walking to room one-o-two, which was easy since the hall was clear now.

"We're late." Zatanna sighed.

"It's fine, they know you had to get your schedule and sign in and everything." Dick assured her as they turned down a hallway. They reached the room and Dick opened the door.

"Mr. O'Neal?"

"Here."

" Daniel Smith?"

"Here."

"Hey Mrs. Rolling." Dick chirped casually.

"Ah, Mr. Grayson, and Miss Zatanna I presume?" The teacher asked with a quirked eyebrow.

Dick looked over to Zatanna who nodded as she played with a loose string of her hair.

Mrs. Rolling nodded once before she asked everyone to introduce themselves.

"Hey, I'm Eddie."

"Blair"

"Callie."

"Hey, I'm Dylan Claytely."

"You know me already, but Barbra."

"Flora Joseph."

"Daniel Smith."

"Billy Barnes."

"Marcus Jackson."

"We met, but Dean."

"Caleb"

"Julia."

Zatanna had nodded and smiled at all of them, especially the ones she had already met. Dick then lead her to the back of the room where Barbra was sitting. He let Zatanna take the desk next to her and he opted for the back counter. He didn't have to do anything for this class anyway, he wasn't even in it.

"Miss Zatanna, you do not have to do the lesson for today, but I will give you your supply list at the end of the class and you will participate tomorrow." Mrs. Rolling stated before turning back to the board.

In Dick's opinion, the class couldn't have ended fast enough, he was bored out of his mind. He couldn't see Zatanna's face, but he could tell by the way she was slumped in her chair that she was just as bored as he was.

When the bell finally rang he and Zatanna said a quick goodbye to Barbara and headed Zatanna's next class.

"So, how's Mrs. Green?" Zatanna asked as they navigated through the crowded hallway.

"She's great. I have her two classes in a row in the mornings. I have forensics first period then Anatomy second, so I'll be in here with you everyday." He replied happily. Mrs. Green was one of his favorite teachers.

They reached room one-hundred and ten, Dick once again opened the door, and they slipped inside. They were one of the first to arrive and they headed towards Mrs. Green's desk.

"Hey Mrs. Green." Dick smiled as he lead Zatanna over to her.

Mrs. Green looked up from her computer screen and smirked. "At least you have a good excuse for not being in my class today Mr. Grayson."

"Pff,all of my excuses are good." Dick teased easily before gesturing to the girl beside him. "This is Zatanna."

Mrs. Green smiled at her and reached her hand over the desk. The two women shook hands and Mrs. Green looked slyly over at Richard, "You got lucky Grayson, not everybody get to chofer such pretty new students."

Dick and Zatanna both chuckled and when Dick glanced over at her, he found that Zatanna was blushing.

"Alright, go take a seat you two." She handed Zatanna her supply list and then the two teens walked to the back of the now full classroom. They sat down in the back once again next to Barbara.

"Hey, let me see your schedule, I think we have a lot of classes together." Barbara smiled at Zatanna and reached for the paper on her desk. Zatanna slid it over to her and looked over her shoulder as she examined it.

"Yeah, I was right, we have four."

Zatanna perked up, "Great, it will be nice to have another familiar face."

Dick looked surveyed the room as the two girls chatted. They seemed to be hitting it off which was great. Sh he looked around the room he rolled his eyes as he noticed Marcus Jackson stealing a few glances in her direction. And he wasn't the only one. Walker Right turned around in his seat looking back at them.

"Alright everyone. Pop quiz!" Mrs. Green smirked as the class groaned.

Dick raised his hand.

"Yes, you do have to take it Mr. Grayson." Mrs. Green's smirk grew at the dejected look that flashed across his face as he let his hand fall.

"Miss Zatanna would you like to take it?" Mrs. Green asked.

"What's it over?" Zatanna inquired,

"The eye."

"Oh, sure, we already covered it at my old school." Zatanna smiled confidently as she took the paper Mrs. Green handed her.

Dick aced the quiz and turned it in and they all spent the rest of the class talking. It was an easy class that day. The bell rang and they was a small eight minute break. Then it was off to third period. Study Hall. They didn't do anything and there was no need to introduce her to the teacher.

After Study hall was World History Honors, another easy class for the most part. Mr. Eller was a nice teacher. He introduced himself to Zatanna then had the class read a few chapters in their textbooks.

Then it was finally lunch. Dick lead Zatanna over to his normal spot and they were joined by Babs, Penny, Dean, and Beckett.

"So, how's it so far," Babs asked as she took a seat on the other side of Zatanna.

"Not too bad." She smiled and opened up her lemonade.

Dick smiled, he could tell she was nowhere near as nervous or stressed as she had been this morning, and so far, no one had messed with her. Hopefully it would stay like that.

When lunch was over they headed to fifth period, AP English. The class Dick hated. They were reading Romeo and Juliet which Dick also hated. It was so dumb, and definitely all the friar's fault.

When English was over it was off to sixth period, Art. Dick wasn't in this class and he didn't know how small it was until he got there and they sat down. There were only five students, Zatanna, Blair, Flora, Billie, and Lilly Wood. They sat through the boring class and at the end Zatanna once again picked up her supply list.

There was another small break and then they were heading to the last class of the day. Biology, which wasn't that bad. Mr. Janson was a pretty nice guy, and he was also their study hall teacher. They walked in and he introduced himself and handed Zatanna the supply sheet. They had to sit in the front this time and they listened to him talk about Mitosis for the next forty-two minutes.

The last bell rung and Dick stood up and turned, waiting for Zatanna. The girl grabbed all of her things and nodded to him and they left the room together.

"So?" Dick asked her eagerly.

"So." Zatanna started, "Not bad. I think I can manage." She smiled.

Dick nodded, "Good, good."

They reached the foot of the steps and sat down looking out at the long line of cars waiting for other students.

Dick stood when he saw Alfred and turned to help Zatanna up. He offered his and and she accepted it shly.

They walked to the car and Alfred opened the door for them. They both thanked him and climbed in, relaxing against the seats.

"Long day?" Alfred asked with a smirk.

The teens glanced at each other before chuckling lightly.


	12. Chapter 12

Zatanna pushed herself up into a sitting position and threw the comforter off of herself. She stretched and pushed herself up and off the mattress and walked over to her bathroom. She walked past the sink and over to the shower, turning the knob all the way to the left, for a hot shower.

Zatanna pulled her clothes off and hopped in. After a quick wash she was out and wrapped in a towel heading to her closet. She picked out her skirt and white dress shirt followed by her tie. Today she opted for the little blazer instead of the sweater vest. She hung everything up on the back of the closet door before walking out into her main room still covered in a towel. When she reached her dresser she pulled out a bra and a pair of panties then walked back into her bathroom and slipped them on. She then proceeded to brush her teeth, blow dry and straighten her hair, and apply just a little bit of makeup.

When she was finally done she walked to the closet and grabbed the clothes pulling the skirt on first. As she did she reflected on her last week at her new school. She had started Monday and it was now Friday and she had learned a lot about everyone at GA, or she thought she had anyway.

Zatanna secured the clip of her short uniform skirt and moved to get the button up shirt from the back of the door too.

Zatanna had made fast friends with Barbara and Bette. She had Penny in a few classes too so they were getting closer. Artemis had been in a few classes with her too. They talked every once in a while but she could tell it put Artemis on edge.

Zatanna finished with her shirt and slipped the tie on, moving to the mirror so she could tie it more easily. She was glad Dick had showed her how to do it.

Zatanna had also met some unpleasant people. As best as Zatanna could tell there were two major cliques, then Dick's group of people, then there were a few floaters in the grade too. The "leader" of one clique was Flora Joseph, she was a year above them and she was an absolute bratt. Sure she was pretty enough with her blond hair and pretty smile but that would only get you so far. In her little group was Tina Jean, another sophomore who liked to pretend she was French, and Callie Livingston, a freshmen who was already labeled as one of Gotham Academy's most notorious gold-digging sluts. Zatanna could tell she had the hots for Dick even if the poor kid couldn't see it himself.

Finally done with the dumb tie, Zatanna pulled on her blazer and walked out of the bathroom. She went back to her dresser and pulled out her thigh high socks, she had asked Alfred to get her some from the school website where they sold all of their apparel. And last she slipped her on her cute little black loafers. She looked at the clock, ten minutes until she needed to be down for breakfast. She sat on her bed and let her thoughts drift back to school.

The second, and more popular, clique was lead by Blair Michael. Blair was also known to be a gold digger but not as well as Callie, she could also be called slutty since Zatanna had heard she had already hooked up with two seniors this year, and she was only a sophomore. Sophia Williams is what Zatanna would describe as second in command of Blair's group. She snapped at the other two girls as much as Blair did but she never said a word against Blair. Sophia was not known to be a gold digger though, in fact it was pretty common knowledge that she had a thing for Dylan Claytley. Then there was Julia Alister who was basically the same as Callie, which was probably why they hated each other so much. The last girl was Ava Hayes she was the nicest of the bunch and the smartest. She didn't seem to feel the need to throw herself at boys, but she still hung out with Blair. All four of these girls liked Zatanna but honestly she prefered Barbara and Penny to them, so she kept her distance for the most part.

There were also boy groups but they mingled with both cliques. So, your typical high school experience on steroids because, after all, this is Gotham.

Dylan Claytely and his friends were nice enough, at least from what she had seen. And then there was Marcus Jackson and his friends, who were not. Andrew Phillips was someone who hung out a lot with Dylan Claytley, and Zatanna had him in a few classes. He was nice and he was pretty cute. Zatanna actually enjoyed talking to him.

Zatanna stood and grabbed her backpack from the foot of her bed and her phone from her night table. She crossed the floor and opened the door before walking out into the hallway and down the stairs. She was pretty used to the manor's downstairs layout, but she hadn't really explored much more than that. She made it to the kitchen and sat in her usual seat, and as usual she was the last to the counter.

"Good morning." Zatanna offered.

"Morning." Dick replied.

Bruce just nodded.

"Morning Miss Zatanna." Alfred said, proper as ever.

Zatanna looked around the kitchen as Alfred made breakfast. Selina still wasn't here. Zatanna knew that Bruce and Selina weren't married but she did think that Selina lived here. Then again Selina had mentioned something about not always being around. Maybe she just had to go to work early.

"Where's Selina?"

Dick looked up from his phone to answer her, "She's probably at her penthouse."

Zatanna raised her eyebrows, "Oh, I kinda thought she lived here."

Dick chuckled, "No, she stays the night a lot but she doesn't live here."

"Hm." Zatanna nodded.

This was the last day Dick was walking with Zatanna to school from the zeta tube, so tonight she would be taking her first self defence class. She had to admit she was excited, but also really, really nervous. Batman was a perfectionist and she was anything but perfect. What is Dick was helping with the lesson too? The thought of that made her a little more nervous.

Alfred cleaned up their dishes and wished them a good day, Bruce told them to be careful and the two teens left the kitchen. Zatanna ran up to her room to retrieve her coat then they were off. Heading to the cave first, they pushed in the right coordinates and were whisked away. They arrived in the alley and it was _freezing_!

"Oh my God." Zatanna chattered.

"Glad you brought a coat?" Dick laughed.

"Yes!" Zatanna gasped.

Dick smiled over at her before leading the way out of the alley.

"Hey, question." She started.

"Hey, answer, maybe." Dick mocked and she rolled her eyes.

"So, how is my little self defense class going to go?" Zatanna asked hesitantly. Dick laughed again and it surprised her.

"I was wondering if you would ask about that."

Zatanna raised one perfect eyebrow, "What do you mean?"

Dick's voice dropped,"Well, you can't have wanted Bruce to be teaching you. I mean he's...Bruce."

Zatanna laughed because, yeah, that pretty much summed it up.

"Selina is coming by tonight to teach you some basics and she will work you up to some more advanced stuff. Then I think once she knows you've got it she was gonna let you decide if you wanted to keep learning." Dick explained and Zatanna relaxed.

"Okay, not that I don't like Bruce or anything, he's just kind of...intimidating I guess." Zatanna mumbled.

"Yeah, I get it." Dick nodded, "I think I'll be helping with you lessons a bit but not much. Like just if she wants to see if you're getting it, I would pretend to attack you and she would give you pointers."

Zatanna nodded, "Okay, sounds good."

And she was nervous again. Why was that? It's just Dick. She was getting to know him pretty well, she definitely trusted him. She loved hanging out with him, he was smart, kind, funny, considerate, and talented. She could probably learn a lot from him. So why was she nervous?

They reached the gates of GA and scaled the steps heading for the commons inside the building. Zatanna was in a hurry to get inside and out of the cold. When they were inside they were greeted by their friends. Zatanna went straight to Barbara.

"Hey Babs." She smiled.

They leaned in for a quick hug, "Hey Zee." Barbara smiled back,"Get the Biology project done?"

Zatanna sighed "Yes of course, it took forever."

They chatted until the bell rang then Zatanna gave Dick a quick goodbye and headed to geometry with Barbara.

The first part of the day went by slowly as always, lunch was fun, and now to English. Zatanna walked with Dick and Barbara to Mrs. Knight's class and they took a seat in the back. They were chatting quietly before the bell rang when the seat next to her was pulled out and someone sat down. She glanced over and was surprised to find Andrew Phillips in the seat next to her. He smiled at her and leaned back in his seat.

Mrs. Knight walked to the front of the room addressing the class and writing something on the whiteboard. Andrew slid his phone over to her and she saw that it was open to his contact list. He smiled at her again and inclined his head to his phone. Zatanna rolled her eyes and laughed quietly before picking up his phone up and entering her number. When she was finished he looked at her expectantly and she pulled out her phone and handed it to him. He typed his number and handed her back her phone before turning his attention to the teacher.

Zatanna did the same but not before glancing over at Dick and Babs. Barbara gave her a sly smile and a laugh. But when she looked at Dick she noticed he was looking past her over at Andrew with an odd expression. Then, without sparing her a glance he looked back up at the board and continued to take notes. Zatanna looked back at Barbara who simply shrugged.

The rest of the day went by quickly and without any odd behavior from Dick. And at the end of the day they said goodbye to their friends and headed to the zeta tube. Dick was talking to her normally and acting like he always did so she brushed off his odd behavior from earlier that day.

They arrived at the cave and Dick literally disappeared. She turned to tell him something and he was just gone. She sighed, sometimes she hated it when he did that.

Zatanna walked up to her room and got started on her homework, she was hoping to finish it before dinner so that she could focus on her lesson with Selina tonight. She pulled out her computer from her desk drawer, this English paper wouldn't write itself.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: First of all, I'd like to apologize for taking 5 million years to update. I've been busy with a lot of stuff! Like taking puppers to obedience school! Second, I realized I was being stupid. I forgot that after "Misplaced" is the episode "Secret", so obviously it's October. I've literally been wrestling with myself about when exactly I'm making this fic and it has been right in front of my face. Like wtf Blue. XD Anyway, thanks for reading and as always I love and appreciate the reviews!**

 **Oh, I still own nothing btw. Does anyone even read author's notes?XD**

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Zatanna walked down the hall and down the stairs towards the gym. Dinner had been good as usual, Zatanna was beginning to recognize that Alfred was an amazing cook.

Selina had told her to go get changed and that they would meet down in the gym in about half an hour. So Zatanna had gone back up to her room and changed into white leggings and a matching sports bra and pulled a small maroon tank top over that. Then, she had double checked her homework and answered some texts before heading downstairs.

Now, she was in the gym, which she still couldn't believe existed! Selina was already there, though Zatanna hadn't said anything yet as the woman was talking on the phone. Zatanna took a seat on a nearby bench and waited. She looked down at her phone when it buzzed, she picked it up and turned it over curiously.

Andrew Phillips: _Hey_

Zatanna smirked and glanced over at Selina to make sure she still had time to start a conversation.

 _Hey._ Zatanna typed. She saw the little typing bubble appear at the bottom of the screen.

Andrew Phillips: _What are you up to?_

Zatanna rolled her eyes, what a typical topic. She laughed to herself because she was just now realizing how she expected more interesting conversations now that she was with Dick all the time. He seemed to never run out of things to talk about. Also, Zatanna wasn't exactly sure how she was supposed to explain the fact that she was about to take a self defence class from Selina Kyle, A.K.A. Catwoman.

 _About to work out. What about you?_

Zatanna didn't really care all that much but she was curious as to where this conversation was going.

Andrew Phillips: _Working on the English paper. It sucks, I could really use some help. You seem pretty good at it though, maybe you could come over sometime and help me with it?_

Zatanna's mouth dropped and she found herself giggling. He didn't waste any time, did he? Luckily she didn't have to answer his question just yet because Selina was now hanging up her call. Then the door opened and Dick walked in wearing light sweatpants and a white t-shirt. He carried three water bottles and set them down on the bench next to her before backing up and looking over at Selina, who was wearing black workout leggings and a dark purple tank.

"Sorry about that, Hun." Selina apologized and Zatanna smiled at her in understanding. "Let's go ahead and stretch now."

They took a few minutes stretching and warming up before Selina started talking again.

"Alright, here's how this is going to go. I'm going to show you the moves and we will practice them a few times, then I'm going to have you try them with Dick. I'll be ables to see if you're getting the hang of it better that way. He won't really hurt you but he isn't going to be overly gentle either."

Zatanna swallowed and nodded before glancing over at Dick. He was looking at something on his phone seemingly not paying attention, but Zatanna had a feeling he knew exactly what Selina had just said, and she was even willing to bet that he could feel her looking over at him.

Zatanna cleared her throat and stood. She walked to the center of the mat where Selina was already waiting.

"So, do you have any kind of background or previous experience with self defence?"

Zatanna nodded, "I took a class but it only lasted an hour. My...my Dad wanted me to take one."

"Ah" Selina paused respectfully before resuming, "How much do you remember?"

Zatanna cleared her troat, "Um, not much. I remember how to punch, but that's about all."

"Well then, that's one less thing to learn." Selina smiled, "Alright, first I'm just going to show you some weak points, areas to aim for if you do get caught up in something."

Zatanna nodded, she was pretty sure she already knew most of them.

"Well, I'm sure you know a hit to the groin will at least stall almost any man. Knees are also a weak point for anyone, if you hit or kick it in the right place you could potentially break an attackers leg. Eyes are another thing to go for, that will stop most people, got that?" Selina finished.

Zatanna nodded. "Got it."

"Alright, so the first move I'll teach you is how to unbalance an attacker if they grab you from behind." Selina motioned for her to move back and Zatanna walked off of the mat. "Dick, come here and help me show her, please."  
Zatanna looked behind her and watched as Dick rose from his seat on the bench and approached Selina. He stood in front of her and allowed her to wrap her arms tightly around him. As soon as she nodded that she was ready, Dick threw his hips back and pulled his arms up fast and as hard as he could. Selina was thrown off balance and staggered backward before regaining her balance and smiling at the teen boy in front of her.

"Good job, Dick." Selina turned to her, "We'll do it a few more times so you can make sure you get the fundamentals." Zatanna nodded and watched them repeat this technique a few times.

After showing her a few more times Selina took a step back and gestured for Zatanna to walk to the center of the ring. Zatanna walked over, her body language conveying confidence, though she was feeling anything but.

"Don't worry, Dick smirked, " I'll go easy on you."

Zatanna raised her eyebrow at his obviously teasing and even cocky words before turning her back to him. His arms snaked around her and she realized he was a lot stronger than he looked. As soon as Selina gave the okay, Zatanna pushed her hips back as hard as she could while she threw her arms up. She decided to add a little extra and she pushed her elbows back into his chest just to make sure he was completely off of her. Zatanna heard a soft thud and turned around just in time to see him catching himself from his fall with a back handspring. Once he regained his balance he looked at her with surprise and she smirked at him, "Gee, thanks for going so easy on me."

His eyes went wide for a split second before he burst into laughter, "Okay, Okay, my bad."

"Excellent job, Zatanna." Selina praised proudly. "Let's do that a few more times."

The two teens both nodded and came back to the center of the mat. Zatanna was only able to get him off two more times before they stopped with that move. Selina said she was going to figure out a work out scheduled for Zatanna. Zatanna understood why, she had the move down, but there was only so much you could do with that. She lacked the physical strength needed to really knock someone off of her, so while Zatanna would have preferred not to work out, she knew it was for the best.

Selina said that they were done for the night, so they cooled down with some stretches and drank a bottle of water each. Zatanna headed back to her phone and picked it up, she couldn't help but smile when she saw the message still waiting for her. She thought about the offer as she headed upstairs. When she reached the top of the stairs she shot a smile over her shoulder to Dick which he returned before they bother retired to their rooms.

Andrew had been really nice to her, not to mention he was very charming. He was smart, funny and really cute too. It wasn't really that big of a deal either, it was just a project. Zatanna bit her lip and smiled down at the screen.

 _Alright. How about Monday?_


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: If you read "Classic" then you already know this but I will be taking a leave of absence during the summer. I just got a job, I'm in the process of training my pup, Knightly, to be a therapy dog, and I'm going on vacation. This will probably be my ast update for a while, but I'm not leaving forever. I might even be able to post a bit during the summer too, we'll see. But don't worry, I'll be back!**

 **And Sorry for the short chapter but I didn't have a lot of time and I didn't want to leave you hanging.**

* * *

Dick's eyes flew open and he sat up quickly with a gasp. He had seen it again, it wouldn't get out of his head! The league, thousands of innocent lives, _Bruce_ gone! Just _gone_ , in the blink of an eye. Why had they been put through that damn test? What good really could have come from making them live through all of that? He got the gist, prepare for the unthinkable, but he preferred when the unthinkable was left unthought of. He couldn't close his eyes without seeing it all again.

He could tell that Zatanna was curious and maybe even a little worried about him, he had chosen not to tell her anything though, he didn't need her pity. And he didn't want her to think of him as weak, so he had avoided her and not talked much when he was around her.

Earlier that day he had overheard Zatanna excitedly telling Selina that she had a date tomorrow after school, so maybe she took him avoiding her the wrong way? Maybe she thought he just didn't want to be around her? Either way, it looked as if he had blown his shot with her. Maybe that was better though, she was dealing with her own misfortunes and he didn't need to bring any extra baggage into her life. But it didn't mean he had to like the fact that she had a date. In fact, he was surprised to admit to himself that he was quite jealous. After all, _he_ had seen her first, not whoever she happened to be going on a date with. Dick was just hoping it didn't turn out to be Marcus Jackson or Caleb O'Neal, he didn't trust either of those idiots.

The more Dick thought about it the more upset he got, which was pretty unreasonable considering she wasn't his to claim. She wasn't anyone's to claim. He didn't have a right to try getting in the way of her date so he wouldn't, but the next chance he got he was going to at least try to get her attention. Dating her, because he _had_ decided he wanted her to be his, didn't mean she had to take on all of his problems too.

Honestly he wasn't even sure if he was allowed to date, or if he was allowed to date _her_. Bruce would probably argue that she was a part of his team so they shouldn't date, and Dick got that but that didn't change how he felt. Why did his life always have to be complicated, couldn't just one thing be easy? There seemed to be so many problems with it, but he was yet again surprised to find that he didn't care.

He didn't trust anyone else with her either. Gotham was a dangerous place filled with cruel and manipulative people, he didn't want her to get messed up by this city. She mattered to him more than he had realized before, and he wasn't sure how that came to be. They hadn't know each other for long but he just had this _feeling._ Like he just _knew_ there was something special about her. He wasn't going to try and stop her date but he wasn't just going to give up either.


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: I have some plans that I'm excited about and because of that we are just going to pretend the the episode "Secrets" comes after "Misplaced. And yes, I am still taking a small break but I've got a little time so I'm giving you a better update.**

The last bell rung and school was _finally_ over. She was going to Andrew's house today to help him with his paper and she was obviously pretty excited! She stood up from her seat, gathered her things, and walked out of the classroom. She wasn't paying much attention to where she was going but she looked up quickly when she bumped into someone.

"Oh, hey, Dick!" Zatanna smiled at him.

He gave her a dazzling smile in return and she was slightly taken aback, she hadn't seen that before.

"Hey, Zee." He bumped her meaningfully with his shoulder then smirked, "Excited for your date?"

Her mouth dropped and she blushed, "How did you know about that?" She stammered.

He laughed charmingly, again this was a side of him she hadn't seen before, "Barbara."

Zatanna laughed, "Should have known."

AS they turned the corner Andrew was leaning on Zatanna's locker. When Dick saw him he leaned down and spoke lowley so no one else could hear, "I'll see you at home."

She smiled at him and he walked away and over to his locker.

"Hey, Zatanna!" Andrew raised his hand and waved.

She smiled and walked over to her locker, "Hey, Andrew."

He smiled at her, "Ready?"

Zatanna nodded, "Just let me grab a few things."

He nodded and while she was getting her stuff a few if his friends arrived, she recognized Walker Right, Dylan Claytely, and Eddie Lynch.

She grabbed her things quickly and closed her locker. As soon as he had turned around Andrew's arm slipped around her shoulder and he lead her through the halls surrounded by his friends. She was a little surprised by his forwardness but she didn't say anything, maybe it was just how he was. Dick smirked at her as she walked past his locker with the group and she blushed. She didn't quite understand why his little signature smirk could make her blush more than walking around the school surrounded by a group of boys, one of whom had their arm draped across her shoulders. There was just something about that boy.

Andrew lead her down the steps with his friends and they all chatted as they waited for their rides. Andrew had informed her that they would be walking to is house to which she had smile and nodded. When all of his friends had left he steered her over towards the gate and onto the sidewalk. They made small talk as they walked and were at a huge apartment building in no time. They took the elevator to the top floor and he opened the door to a penthouse. He smiled over his shoulder at her,

"Come on." He motioned her inside. It was spacious and decorated nicely, "My parents are hardly ever home, they're usually working or on business trips so it pretty much just me here most of the time."

He didn't give her any time to reply because she was whisked away and over to his bedroom. It was a bit smaller than Dick's and not quite as clean. It didn't have the boy smell she was expecting but it did smell like febreze, so she suspected that it probably did have that boy smell earlier. And the only other sign of messiness was the fact that his bed was unmade and he trashcan in the corner weren't taken out..

"Okay," She clapped her hands together,"Should we get started?"

He nodded and went to sit on the couch in the far corner of the room. She followed and took a seat next to him before pulling out her laptop. They worked for a while he was sweet and charming, they got a lot done. When it got a little later they ordered in Chinese and just talked as they ate in the kitchen.

At around eight she had decided that she had better be off, after all it was getting late. He had walked her down to lobby and kissed her on the cheek before strolling away. Zatanna watched him until the elevator doors closed before walking out of the building. When she reached the sidewalk she froze...this was Gotham...and it was getting late. The sun had set but the streets were busy, there were crowds of people walking down the sidewalk too. It made her feel a little better but also it made her nervous. She didn't know any of these people personally and she doubted any of them would help her if she got stuck in a bad situation.

Maybe she should go back in and call Alfred or Dick. But then she didn't want to seem like a baby, if she was going to live here she needed to be able to handle it. She was really starting to worry when a familiar voice sounded behind her,

"Hey, Honey."

Zatanna whipped around and let out a sigh of relief, "Selina!"

"How was your date?" Selina asked with a smirk.

Zatanna laughed, she found herself almost giddy with relief, "Good, really good!"

Selina nodded, "Well let's get you home."

Zatanna nodded and followed closely behind her savior. She noted how well Selina was dressed and felt a pang of self doubt again as she realized yet again that she was a long way from home, and the people she was with now were so different then what she was used to. They were so successful and Zatanna wasn't sure she would ever measure up to them. She couldn't even get herself back home without help! She shouldn't be more of a burden than she already was.

Selina kept a fast pace and Zatanna made sure to keep up with her. She didn't want to be the weak link, people like Bruce, Selina, and even Dick, didn't need to be dragging someone behind them when they were already caring the entire city on their shoulders.

Sure this had been nice night but if she wanted to keep having nice nights like this she needed to be responsible for herself. She made a promise to herself then, she would be stronger than this. She would be like Selina, independent, strong, fierce, and smart. She would carry herself and not be left behind for someone to come along and drag her with them. She wouldn't be dead weight, she would be her own savior from now on.

As they rounded the corner bringing them to a deserted alley Zatanna recognized the Zeta tube entrance.

"Thank you Selina. I really appreciate this, but you won't have to do it gain. I need to be able to take care of myself here, I can't just rely on other people to take care of me."

Selina smiled down at her, " I'm glad you recognize that. I'll be teaching you some more self defense soon. Until then, stay safe."

Zatanna turned to punch in the coordinates and by the time she looked back Selina was gone. She laughed to herself before stepping into the beam. This had been good a night and with her new found resolve it looked like there would be a lot more nights like this. She would feel after and be happier and maybe things would work out well with Andrew.

When she got to the cave she headed up to her room. She didn't see anyone on her way up so she simply took a shower, double checked her homework and went to bed hoping tomorrow would be just as good as today.


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Hey so you guys know how I said that we are just gonna pretend that "Secrets" comes after "Misplaced"? Well we are also gonna say that we are in late October right now, okay? Okay, coolio!**

 **So I found a cat and we kept her then I found out that she was pregnant so now we have 6 kittens! So yeah!**

 **Love you guys! Thanks for reading!**

 **Sorry it's been so long, life has been hectic.**

Dick sighed and propped his elbow up on the desk before leaning his head on it. He was in eighth period at the moment and oh so close to freedom! It was finally friday and he got to go out tonight, he knew Batman was close to locating the Joker and Dick wanted to be there to help take him down, or Robin did anyway.

He glanced at the clock and smiled, two minutes until the bell. He closed his binder and put his pencil in the front pocket of his backpack.

"Mr. Grayson, did I say to start packing up?" Mrs. Green asked with her eyebrow raised.

"We have a minute left." DIck answered after glancing at the clock again.

"And?" Mrs. Green asked.

Dick sighed and put his head back in his hand and Mrs. Green turned back to the board.

 _Ding_

Dick smirked and stood up as the rest of the class started laughing.

"Have a good weekend." Dick said to Mrs. Green as he walked by.

She didn't answer but instead glared at his back as he left.

He was still smiling as he left her class and met up with Babs in the hall. They started walking down towards their lockers and Dick listened to her talk about the day's drama. They stopped by her locker first and he nodded along to he rant about Flora Joseph.

"So Flora was talking crap about Sophie and Sophie was ranting to me. I was just listening and being nice and stuff, so then she started talking about Blair and Julia. I'm not even friends with Sophie so I don't know why she told me this, but guess what I found out."

Dick rolled his eyes before she shut her locker and faced him, "What did you find out?" He asked with false reverence. "I just have to know!"

Barbara glared at him as they walked to his locker, " She told me that Blair and Julia both think that you're really cute!"

He looked over at her with raised eyebrows, "Okay, and?"

"What do you mean 'and'?" She laughed, "It's funny!"

"Why is it funny?" Dick asked as they reached his locker.

Babs hit his arm, "Oh calm down, you are cute. It's just funny because they are like the two biggest sluts in the sophomore class!"

Dick gave her another weird look as he stuffed books in his bag."You know I'm thirteen right?"

"I know, Dick! I'm just saying it's funny!" Barbara laughed again, "Especially because you aren't interested in them."

Dick closed his locker, "What are you talking about?"

Barbara tilted her head and smirked, "C'mon Dicky, you like Zee. It's so obvious!"

Dick coughed and then looked around, "Shut up!"

"Oh, calm down!" She smiled, "No one's paying attention."

Dick didn't say anything for a minute as they walked.

"Is it that obvious?" He asked.

Barbara laughed, "It wasn't at first, but I think you are starting to make Andrew jealous!

"Speak of the Devil." Dick sighed.

Zatanna was at her locker with Andrew standing next to her. She laughed at something he said and Dick looked away and focused on navigating through the crowded hall.

"Or maybe you're the jealous one." Barbara taunted him.

"Shut up, no I'm not." He muttered and she laughed again.

He glared at the ground once they were outside, he got to see Zatanna at home anyway. Penny, Dean and Beckett came up to them as they waited for their rides. Dick looked around and saw Blair and Sophie, when they noticed him looking Blair smiled, flipped her hair, and waved. Dick just sighed and looked away.

Finally he saw the limo and said goodbye to his friends before heading down the last few stairs and into the car.

"Hey, Alfie." He said, trying to keep the disappointment out of his voice.

"Hello, Master Richard. How was your day?" The butler asked, with a twinkle in his eye.

"Not bad. I'm glad it's the weekend though." Dick smirked at the man.

'Mmm." Alfred answered. " Then you had best finish your homework, young man."

"Yeah, yeah." Dick sighed as he pulled out his homework. He might as well get it started now.

They rode back home in silence so Dick could concentrate on his homework. They were back at the manor in no time.

Dick knew Zatanna had beaten them there because he saw her coat already hanging on the coat rack. He put his own coat on the rack and headed upstairs.

When he reached the top of the stairs he leaned sideways and barely missed Zatanna coming down the stairs.

"Woah! Hey, Zee." He chirped with a smile.

She looked up from her phone, "Oh, sorry! Wasn't paying attention."

"Yeahh, I got that." He laughed.

"Is Alfred downstairs?" She asked looking past his shoulder.

"Yeah." Dick nodded.

"Okay." Zatanna started to walk down the stairs then turned, "Hey, wait a sec."

Dick turned around to face her. " Yeah?"

"Can you help me with some of the stuff Selina has been showing me?" Zatanna asked a little hesitantly.

Dick smiled, "Yeah, sure. What all do you want help on?"

The teen girl laughed, " Umm, honestly, pretty much all of it. I want to make sure I really have all of it down. "

Dick laughed too, "Yeah, no problem let me finish the rest of my homework, then we can start."

She nodded, "Thanks, Dick."

He smiled again before turning and entering his room. He couldn't help the smirk that formed on his face. Andrew may get to hang out with her at school, but he was the one that got to help her learn how to kick some serious bad guy butt.

Dick was pretty sure that he had never finish homework that fast. It took him about twenty minutes, then he had rushed to get changed and headed down to the gym. Zatanna was already down there stretching and he set down the towel he was holding before joining her.

He quickly went through his own warm up routine and was ready to join her on the mat. They went over some of the basic things Selina had taught her again. They would practice a move until she was confident that she had it down before moving to any others. They were able to get through three basic self defence moves and a little trick Dick taught her in about three hours.

By the time Alfred told them to change for dinner Zatanna could throw a proper punch and a very nice side kick and front lick, as well as throw an attacker off of her from behind. She still wasn't quite strong or fast enough to throw an attacker off of her from the ground though.

" That's kind of frustrating…" Zatanna muttered as they gathered their things and started to head out of the gym.

"What's frustrating?" Dick asked after a quick drink.

"I still can't do that last move." She sighed.

Dick nodded, "Well you should be able to soon. That's why Selina put you on that workout plan, you should start getting stronger in a few weeks. And until then you just have to keep practicing the move." He finished encouragingly.

She nodded but when she still looked a little put out Dick touched her arm, "How about we try something else!"

She tilted her head to the side, "Like what?"

"Target practice?" Dick smiled. "I can teach you how to throw a knife."

Zatanna's eyes widened and she laughed, "Heck yeah!"

Dick walked over to a small set of drawers near the corner of the room and pulled a key from one of the drawers. He then walked over to a big cabinet and unlocked the one of the doors. He pulled a small wooden box out. He carried it over to the bench she was closest to and set it down before opening the top. They were just basic throwing knives and Zatanna reached out and touched one of them.

"We can try it after dinner if you want-" Dick started but was interrupted by the door opening.

"Actually, we'll be busy after dinner." Zatanna turned as she recognized Bruce Wayne's voice.

She looked over to Dick and watched his face light up. "Really?"

Bruce narrowed his eyes, "Yes, really." THen he turned and left leaving the door open.


End file.
